Florida mom tests nearly twice legal limit for DUI with daughter, 6, in car, police say
APOPKA, Fla. - A Florida mom was arrested on DUI charges after being accused of driving impaired with her six-year-old daughter in the car, police say.
The mother later provided two breath samples, testing at 0.155 and 0.149 – both well above the legal limit of 0.08.
What we know:
The Apopka Police Department responded around 7:30 p.m. on June 30 to reports of a child on the shoulder of a busy highway in Orange County – finding the child's mother in the driver's seat confused and disoriented, an arrest affidavit said.
The child, 6, was seen standing outside a vehicle waving her hands to get a bystander’s attention near SR-414 and SR-451 – in an area with a posted speed limit of 65 mph, police said.
The responding officer observed the mom in the car and vomiting, the report said.
The mother – identified as Joelle Service, 33 – was confused and disoriented in the driver’s seat, police said.
Police described Service as having glassy and bloodshot eyes and having slurred speech. She couldn’t give a clear explanation as to why her vehicle was stopped on the shoulder of a busy highway, the report said.
Service’s vehicle had damage to the front and rear passenger doors, but she couldn’t explain what caused the damage, police said.
Daughter reports mom's alcohol consumption
The girl told officers she and her mom were driving home from a trip to Mount Dora where her mother reportedly drank multiple glasses of wine, the report said. The daughter said her mom was "driving badly" – hitting multiple objects on the road – which scared her.
The girl also said her mom was feeling sick and fell asleep sitting at the wheel before waking up to vomit. She reported her mom was unresponsive, so she got out of the car to get help from passing drivers.
Sobriety test refusal
Service denied drinking any alcohol, instead said while driving home she had stomach pains and nausea – causing her to pull over onto the shoulder of the road.
When asked further, Service admitted to drinking one large glass of wine. She claimed again that she didn’t know how her vehicle was damaged and denied hitting anything.
She refused a field sobriety test after being asked several times, the officer said in the report.
List of charges, released from jail
The officer determined Service was in control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The officer also said Service failed to provide her daughter with the care and supervision necessary for the child's safety.
Service later provided breath samples – one which showed a result of 0.155 and a second of 0.149. Both tests were above the legal driving limit of 0.08.
She was placed under arrest without incident on the charges of driving under the influence with a breath alcohol level of 0.15 or higher while a pers on under 18 years old was in the vehicle and child neglect without great bodily harm.
She was released from jail on July 1 on a $2,000 cash bond, the Orange County Jail confirmed.
The girl’s relative took custody of her.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from an Apopka Police Department arrest affidavit.