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Driver Accused Of Crashing Car While Drunk, Abandoning It

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By LISA A. DAVIS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 23, 2008

HUDSON - While a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was trying to figure out who slammed a car into a sign and pole, its owner called the Pasco County Sheriff's Office to report the 1991 Cadillac stolen Wednesday morning.

Immediately, the trooper had an aha! moment and arranged for Wade Jeffery Whitman to meet him at the crash site, trooper and spokesman Larry Coggins said.

The white Cadillac was discovered on the eastbound shoulder of Hudson Avenue. A nearby power pole had been damaged and a Department of Transportation sign was run down. The keys were not inside the vehicle.

When Whitman, 33, arrived at Hudson Avenue, west of Little Road, he was driving a blue 1987 Plymouth and his 3-year-old son was unrestrained in the front seat, according to reports.

Trooper Terry Goswick reportedly noticed Whitman's bloodshot and watery eyes and poor balance. The trooper asked him questions about the stolen car report and the wreck.

It's not unusual for drivers who have crashed and abandoned their cars to report them stolen, Coggins said.

Finally, Whitman admitted he had been driving the Cadillac the night before, Coggins said.

After being read his legal rights, Whitman reportedly told Goswick he was at Hudson Beach on Tuesday night and had started to drive home. He didn't remember how the crash happened, according to the report, but when he awoke he panicked and got a ride home.

He had cuts and scratches consistent with glass breaking out of the driver's side window, a report states.

After performing poorly on field sobriety tests, Whitman took a breath test, which came out negative for alcohol. A urinalysis is being conducted at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab to determine whether he was under the influence of an intoxicating substance at the time of the crash and when he came to the scene, Coggins said.

Whitman, of 12901 Buckeye Drive, Hudson, was arrested and booked into the Land O' Lakes Jail on charges of DUI, leaving the scene of a crash, no motor vehicle registration and attaching a tag unassigned to that vehicle. He was being held Thursday with bail set at $1,000.

Troopers are awaiting the toxicology results to determine whether he should face more charges, such as child neglect, Coggins said. Those results could take weeks or months.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083 or ldavis@tampatrib.com.

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