DUI suspect said his speech was slurred due to wisdom teeth being removed 20 years ago

A driver who smelled of alcohol excused his slurred speech during a DUI investigation by telling police he just had his wisdom teeth pulled out. But the credibility of Michael Reyna’s explanation may have suffered when he said the procedure had occurred two decades previously.

Police in Fellsmere, Florida, ended up arresting Reyna, 46, after the incident that began at about 1:22am on Aug. 28, an affidavit states. Fellsmere police stopped him after an officer noticed his truck was speeding. He shuffled through credit cards and his Ford manual bag after being asked for his registration and proof of insurance.



An officer noted Reyna’s speech was slurred, his eyes bloodshot and glassy and that he smelled of alcohol. As part of field sobriety exercises, the officer asked Reyna whether he had any medical conditions that could make it tough for him to do the exercises. He said he’d been stabbed in the leg several years ago. Reyna also reported a medical condition with his eyes, but the officer couldn’t understand the word because of his slurred speech.

“Michael then excused his slurred speech by stating he just had his wisdom teeth pulled out,” the affidavit states. “When asked how long ago they pulled out his wisdom teeth, Reyna stated ‘twenty years ago.’” After performing some of the exercises, Reyna, of Fellsmere, was arrested on a DUI charge. Breath tests measured his blood alcohol content at 0.094 and 0.095, greater than the 0.08 legal limit.