Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ariel Samone Love Lassiter, 41, of Archer, was arrested early this morning after troopers responding to a rollover crash on I-75 determined that she was too impaired to drive.

Florida Highway Patrol Troopers responded to a rollover crash near the Newberry Road exit on northbound I-75 at about 12:19 a.m. on November 19 and found an overturned Hyundai Elantra in the grass median between the northbound lane and the northbound exit ramp; about 100 feet of the guardrail was reportedly damaged.

Lassiter, the driver and only occupant of the car, was standing outside the car with Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies when the trooper arrived, and Lassiter reportedly said she had been driving northbound on I-75, had missed the exit ramp to Newberry Road, and had crashed. She reportedly declined transport to a hospital.

Several witnesses reportedly saw the crash and helped Lassiter out of her car. One witness said he smelled the strong odor of alcohol and marijuana when he approached the car, and a second witness also said he could smell alcohol and noticed that Lassiter’s speech was slurred. The trooper noted that a half-full bottle of a green alcoholic beverage was inside the car.

The trooper reported that Lassiter’s eyes were red, watery, and glassy; she had balance issues; and she had difficulty walking without swaying or stumbling.

Post Miranda, Lassiter reportedly said she’d had two or three beers earlier in the night. When asked about the open bottle of liquor, she reportedly said she may also have had one mixed drink. She said she had taken her friend home, was on her way home, and intended to get off the interstate at the Newberry Road exit but missed the exit, tried to cut over, and crashed. She reportedly said she had smoked marijuana a few hours earlier.

Lassiter reportedly said she had problems with her knees but agreed to let the trooper check her eyes; he reported that she did poorly on the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, advised her that she was too impaired to drive, and arrested her.

After being medically cleared at an emergency room, she was transported to the jail, where she provided breath samples of .224 g/210L and .218 g/210L, over 2.5 times the legal limit. She has been charged with driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or higher and DUI with property damage.

Lassiter has four misdemeanor convictions (one violent), including a 2018 conviction for driving with a blood alcohol concentration over .15 and possession of drug paraphernalia. Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $5,000 with conditions including a transdermal alcohol detection device and a curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. except for work.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.