Ocala Mom En Route to Get Kids, Arrested on DUI Charges

A woman in Ocala is currently facing DUI charges after deputies arrested her while she made her way to retrieve her children from a local school.  The official report from deputies with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office indicates that they were alerted by a witness to the woman’s driving.  This witness told the deputies that a tan Acura was driving in an erratic pattern down the road, weaving in and out of lanes, and at one point leaving its lane entirely and traveling down the incorrect side of the highway for a sustained period of time.

What most alarmed the witness, however, was when the driver swerved the Acura into a curb, blew out the car’s front tire, and then continued to drive on the rim, the tire comply shredded.  Immediately afterward, the Acura almost collided with a school bus.

Marion County deputies, fearing for the safety of the students getting out of schools in the area, rushed to intercept the out-of-control driver.  They found her at some distance from a school: a 35-year-old woman who, when pulled over by the deputies, told them that she was on her way to collect her children from Lake Weir Middle School.  Later, she changed this statement to tell the deputies that she was, in fact, on her way to the Circle K, where she supposedly works.  When the deputies pointed out the flat tire, the woman told them that even with flat tires she could still operate her vehicle.

The woman then proceeded to tell the police that she was not intoxicated and that she had consumed no alcoholic beverages.  She then failed all of the field sobriety tests and was arrested on DUI charges.

When the breath tests were taken, it was found that the woman’s BAC was resting between 0.222 and 0.229, well over twice the legal limit.

The woman was held at the Marion County Jail with her bail set at $1,000.  It is not known if bail was posted or if the woman is still incarcerated.  Other than DUI charges, it is not clear if she faces any other charges relating to this incident.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.