GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A Gainesville man accused of leaving the scene of a crash was found inhaling compressed keyboard duster after his vehicle struck a fence along Interstate 75 and became stuck in a ditch, police said.
Gainesville Police arrested Granville Crocket Batey, 43, on Sept. 14 on charges of DUI with property damage, leaving the scene of a crash, resisting without violence and inhaling dangerous chemicals.
Officers responded around 5:40 p.m. to the 3300 block of Clark Butler Boulevard after a vehicle struck the rear of another vehicle and left the scene, according to police.
The occupants of the vehicle that was hit suffered minor injuries.
A witness followed the fleeing vehicle and provided officers with its location and license plate information. Police subsequently located the vehicle, but investigators said the driver refused to get out and attempted to drive away.
The vehicle then struck a Florida Department of Transportation fence along I-75 before becoming stuck in a ditch.
When officers approached Batey, they found him actively inhaling from a can of compressed keyboard duster, according to police. Officers also reported observing signs they said were consistent with impairment from the substance.
Batey was taken into custody and transported to a hospital as a precaution before being booked into the Alachua County Jail.