Last week, Palm City, Florida resident Matthew Falkner went through the drive thru late at night.
However, he was allegedly extremely drunk and passed out in the line after he got his food. Thankfully his truck was in park, but his foot got stuck on the gas.
The truck, just sitting there, was revving for a long time and started to smoke.
The Taco Bell manager saw the situation and called the police. When authorities got there, they opened the door, woke up 30-year-old Falkner, and asked him for his I.D.
Instead of grabbing his wallet for his license, Falkner started to take out a taco.
According to the sheriff’s records, when another deputy stated the request wasn’t for a taco, the booze-smelling Falkner began to laugh and again started to take out a taco.
The early morning Oct. 1 fiasco occurred at a Taco Bell in Jensen Beach.
Deputies stated when they arrived at the scene, the driver, looked to be passed out or snoozing. A deputy raised his right foot off the gas pedal and turned off the engine.
The arrest affidavit says “I asked the driver if he knew he fell asleep with his foot on the gas pedal and he stated he didn’t know.”
Falkner started to shuffle his Taco Bell bag. He shrugged and started to laughed again, and ultimately began trying to eat the taco.
The affidavit did not state whether the taco in question was a Soft Taco, Crunchy Taco, Volcano Taco, Double Decker Taco Supreme, Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco or another variety of Taco Bell taco.
Falkner was told to step out of the vehicle. He finally did put down his taco and taco bag when deputies noticed the pick-up’s engine was on fire. Fire extinguishers were used to squelch the small blaze.
Investigators said they smelled a “strong odor” of alcohol on Falkner. Breath tests measured his blood alcohol content as 0.227 and 0.225 – almost three times the legal limit of 0.08.
Falkner was then arrested on a DUI charge.
The affidavit did not say whether Falkner got to finish the taco or not.
By: South Carolina Criminal Defense Attorney Pete Strom
