A 54-year-old woman from Tampa was stopped by a sheriff’s deputy on Interstate 4 for wrong-way driving. She is now facing several charges, including felony DUI, related to the incident that happened early in the morning July 15.
According to the report, the deputy noticed the woman’s headlights coming toward him as he was in the eastbound lanes of the interstate around 3 a.m. He immediately tried to get the driver’s attention by turning on his emergency lights and siren; however, the woman did not stop. The deputy then followed her and pulled beside her to again try to get her attention using his horn and siren. The report states that the woman’s driver’s side window was down, and the deputy used his PA to tell the woman to pull over. The woman continued driving for over a mile at speeds of between 50-60 mph. Then she finally stopped.
The deputy reported smelling alcohol on the woman after getting her out of her car. The woman refused a blood alcohol test. In addition to felony DUI, she was also charged with refusing to submit to a test and driving with a suspended license. According to the report, she had several previous DUI arrests.
As serious as these charges are, they do not inherently mean she will be convicted. This woman has the right to fight the charges against her in court, and the prosecution has the burden to prove that she was inebriated at the time of the incident. To explore the options available to her and devise an effective defense against the charges, the woman could speak with an attorney experienced in DUI laws and other related traffic offenses.
Source: Patch.com, “Wrong-Way Driver Stopped on Interstate 4,” Sherri Lonon, July 15, 2015.
