Video released to WUFT News by the Florida Highway Patrol Friday afternoon shows Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe struggling with at least one sobriety test at the site of the crash that led to his driving under the influence charge last week.
The complete video is three hours and includes trooper questioning, a series of sobriety tests and Lowe's transport in a patrol car to the Alachua County Jail.
Lowe filed a written plea of not guilty Thursday to charges of driving under the influence and careless driving.
The video shows Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Javon Murphy reading Lowe his Miranda Rights before asking him several questions about the night's events.
On the video, Lowe said he had consumed three 12-ounce beers and was coming from Gainesville before the crash.
During one of the sobriety tests, Lowe can be seen staggering as he attempts to walk along a pair of yellow divider lines in the road (below).
The nearly 14 minute field sobriety test was also captured on the dash cam, and can be viewed below.
Video from the backseat of Murphy's patrol car shows Lowe wearing a seat belt with his hands behind his back en route to the Alachua County Jail. Taylor Swift's hit song "I Knew You Were Trouble" can be heard faintly in the background of the patrol car.
In the arrest report, Murphy wrote that Lowe "performed poorly" on the sobriety tests, including the walk and turn, the one leg stand and the finger to nose.
The day of Lowe's arrest, his campaign manager released a statement from the mayor that included the following:
In the coming days, additional facts will come to light and I believe that I will [be] found not guilty in this case.
In a later statement, Lowe said:
I will accept the consequences of my actions and face the sanctions that are deemed appropriate by the State Attorney and/or the Court. I will submit to an alcohol abuse evaluation and abide by any recommendations necessary to assure both myself and the public that this type of conduct does not recur.
The mayor will appear in court April 24 for a pre-trial conference.
WUFT attempted to reach Lowe Friday evening at the home phone number listed on an online directory and in a 2008 phonebook. The voicemail box is full, so no message could be left.
Neither Lowe’s campaign manager Nick Mildebrath nor Darby Hertz, Lowe's attorney as listed on the case summary provided by the Alachua County Clerk of the Court website, could be reached Friday evening for comment. Messages have been left for both.
Chip Skambis contributed to this report.