INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — An Indian River County man is in the county jail after police say he stole a car, drove drunk and forced other vehicles off the road.
David Daniel Burdett, 57, of the 600 block of 8th Court, Vero Beach, is being held at the jail in lieu of $8,000 bond. He faces a felony charge of grand theft auto and multiple misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, driving without a valid license, and resisting arrest without violence, according to the Sheriff’s Office website.
The arrest report states that the vehicle’s owner told Burdett he was not allowed to drive the vehicle but he took it anyway. She told authorities that Burdett had been performing work on the red Mazda 3 when he asked if he could take it for a ride. She told him no and went back into her home. That’s when he decided to drive off in it anyway, according to the report.
At some point – it was not clear in the report – Burdett consumed alcohol to the point where he was driving impaired, according to the arrest report.
He then drove along 43rd Avenue south of the City of Vero Beach, forcing other drivers off the road before pulling into the parking lot of the Moose Lodge and then pulling back out, a witness told authorities.
The Mazda then drove into the wooded area north of the lodge toward a vacant house. That’s where deputies found Burdett and ordered him out of the vehicle. Burdett took an aggressive stance and cursed at one of the deputies, threatening him, according to the report.
Deputies were able to place Burdett under arrest and transport him to the jail without incident.
