Man arrested in Englewood, found asleep at wheel in apparent overdose

The driver of a pickup truck was arrested Sunday morning after deputies found him asleep at the wheel in an apparent drug overdose while stopped at a stop sign in Englewood.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a call warning them of a reckless driver entering Englewood from the Venice line at around 10:30 a.m. The caller said the driver of a white pickup truck was swerving in and out of traffic, nearly causing head-on collisions. Deputies went to the area and found a vehicle matching the caller’s description stopped at a stop sign at Loralin Drive and Greaza Street. They parked behind the truck, which did not move for around one minute even though the engine was running and the brake lights were on.

As deputies approached the driver’s side door, they say the driver, Anthony Philip Dibona, 57, was asleep at the wheel. Deputies knocked on the window and woke up Dibona, who then exited the truck and was unable to maintain his balance as he did so, leaning on the vehicle for support many times.

Deputies began to question Anthony, asking where he was coming from. The man stated he was coming from Venice, Nokomis, and Port Charlotte, and that he was looking for food. He also stated he worked Saturday night in Manatee County and had been driving around ever since. CCSO says his speech was slurred and he could not provide any further information on why he was in Englewood. Deputies suspected he was under the influence and asked for his consent to search his vehicle, which he granted. In the passenger seat, they found a 4-inch cut plastic straw containing the residue of a white substance, but there was not enough to conduct a field test.

Anthony appeared confused and was unable to form complete sentences, prompting the deputies to contact EMS to check him out. EMS arrived and transported him to the hospital. During transport, Anthony fell asleep mid-sentence and had pinpoint pupils, causing the paramedic to believe he was experiencing a drug overdose. Narcan was administered, and Anthony reacted positively.

At the hospital, Anthony signed a medical release, granting permission for his blood and urine to be tested. The tests came back positive for opioids and benzodiazepines, and the tending nurse had to administer a second dose of Narcan due to signs of Anthony slipping back into the overdose.

Anthony was arrested once it was determined that he had been impaired and unable to safely operate a motor vehicle, and it was revealed that he had four prior DUI convictions. Due to this, Anthony faces charges of DUI fourth or subsequent and failure to obey driver’s license restrictions by the courts. Once cleared, he was transported to the Charlotte County jail without incident.

Anthony is being held without bond.