According to police reports, Lakeland Police Department responded to a call at 4:29 a.m. Wednesday reporting a vehicle approximately 150 feet into Lake Hollingsworth. An officer arrived to see two individuals sitting on the roof of a black four-door sedan,
Lakeland Fire Department arrived on the scene and used a boat to bring the two people to shore. Philip Stuart Peterson, 28, said he was driving the car home from a friend’s house, wasn’t paying attention and drove into the lake, according to a LPD.
A female passenger in Peterson’s car had lacerations as result of the crash and was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center for treatment.
An officer conducted a field sobriety test and found Peterson showed signs of impairment and placed him under arrest. Peterson’s breath test results came in .173 and .169 — more than twice the legal blood alcohol limit of .08 — according to police reports.
Peterson was arrested and faces three misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated, DUI with property damage/personal injury, and DUI at .15 or higher.