A 27-year-old Clermont man crashed a car he was driving on the Cortez Bridge.
Christopher Jack Nicholson was arrested in the early morning hours Aug. 23 for leaving the scene of a crash and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The FHP report stated that Bradenton Beach Police Officer Josh Betts was serving an arrest warrant across the street from the crash when he heard a woman screaming, saying a vehicle had almost struck a person and the driver was running away.
Betts also told the FHP that upon hearing the woman’s call for help, he drove to the crashed vehicle on the bridge and caught up with Nicholson, who was determined to be the driver. Betts reported to the FHP that the man appeared intoxicated.
The FHP interviewed the woman, who said she observed the crash from the porch of her house, ran to the scene to make sure no one was hurt and then saw Nicholson walking away.
According to the FHP report, Nicholson said he had “messed up and now he was paying for it.”
He allegedly told police he had a couple beers and made a “big mistake.’
According to the FHP, Nicholson’s eyes were watery and bloodshot. Field sobriety tests were administered and Nicholson swayed during the questioning, then refused to submit to a breath test.
Nicholson was transported and booked at the Manatee County jail.
He posted $620 bond and was released.
His first court date is Sept. 21 at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.