ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — Charlotte County deputies say they found the driver of a pickup truck asleep at the wheel while stopped at a stop sign in Englewood Sunday.
Deputies received a call about 10:30 a.m. warning of a reckless driver swerving in and out of traffic, nearly causing head-on collisions.
They located the pickup stopped at a stop sign at Loralin Dr. and Greaza St. and waited about one minute behind the truck. The engine was running and the brake lights were on.
As deputies approached the driver’s side door, they saw the driver, later identified as Anthony Philip Dibona, asleep at the wheel. Deputies knocked on the window to wake him up and had him step out of the truck. They said he was unable to maintain his balance and leaned on the vehicle for support multiple times.
Dibona appeared confused and unable to speak clearly, investigators said. EMS was called and medical officials determined he was experiencing a drug overdose. Narcan was administered.
Blood tests came back positive for opioids and benzodiazepines. Additionally, the tending nurse had to administer a second dose of Narcan due to signs of Dibona slipping back into the overdose.
Further investigation revealed that Dibona had 4 prior DUI convictions. He was arrested and charged with another DUI. Once cleared, he was transported to the Charlotte County Jail without incident.
He is being held without bond.
“I want to thank the concerned citizen who called in to let us know about this individual," said Sheriff Bill Prummell. "Clearly, this is someone who doesn’t understand how dangerous this behavior is. A lot of people could have been seriously hurt or worse, all because of one person’s poor decisions. Thank God that didn’t happen.”
