OKEECHOBEE — A 79-year-old man was arrested following a traffic accident on Saturday, Aug. 10 at approximately 7 p.m. He was charged with DUI, and his bond was set at $1,000.

Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Deputy Steven Pollock responded to a call pertaining to a traffic crash in the 3600 block of State Road 70 East and reportedly found a tan Nissan car facing westbound on the east side of a small ditch bank on the east side of State Road 70 East. He spoke with Deputy Quintin Speed, who had arrived before him, and Deputy Speed told him a witness had observed the vehicle at the intersection of State Road 70 and State Road 710. The witness reported the vehicle went past the stop bar and partially into the roadway before stopping.

The driver of the Nissan was identified as Lakram Basdeo Baijnauth of Fort Pierce. Deputy Pollock noted the driver’s eyes were red and watery and his breath smelled of alcohol. He also noted Baijnauth’s words were slurred, but he was unsure whether this was due to his accent. Baijnauth reportedly told Deputy Pollock he was coming from the casino and was on his way home to Fort Pierce.

A witness to the accident said he first saw the vehicle at the intersection of 710 and 70 and observed the car stop past the stop bar and into the roadway. After the light turned green, he saw the car accelerate at a high rate of speed and then at the 3400 block of State Road 70 East, he saw the car run off the roadway onto the median, lose control and then cross back over into the eastbound lanes before striking the curb and going through the ditch backwards before coming to a rest.

After a field sobriety test, Baijnauth was arrested and transported to the Okeechobee County Jail.