When the cops pull you over, you want to make sure you do everything possible to avoid a DUI on your record. There are plenty of things you should not do at a DUI traffic stop. You do not want to antagonize the officer, tell the cop how much you had to drink that evening or refuse the breathalyzer test. Apparently, some people also need to know that they should not chug a beer at the stop, but one Florida man did not receive the memo.
On June 14th, Daryl Royal Riedel, a 48-year old man from Big Coppitt Key, led police on a long chase. The deputies leading the chase ordered Riedel over a PA system that he needed to pull over immediately, but Riedel responded by waving his hand out the window. Riedel would later say he did not pull over because he was afraid of what would happen. When he finally came to a stop, he exited his vehicle with a beer in hand and proceeded to chug it in front of the officers.
This was far from the first time Riedel had a run-in with law enforcement. He had three other DUI convictions on his record: one in 2003, one in 2010 and an additional pending case from 2017. Police arrested him early in the morning, and he faces three felony charges for driving under the influence, two misdemeanor charges for reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, fleeing and eluding officers and refusal to submit to a sobriety test. He went to jail without bond.
Open container laws in Florida
You certainly do not want to drink while you are literally behind the wheel, but you also should avoid having any open containers in your vehicle, even if you have not consumed any alcohol. In Florida, having an open container inside a vehicle is a criminal offense, and an open container includes any bottle with a broken seal or is within easy reach for the driver to consume.
