Woman shows up drunk to polling place on Election Day and makes kids cry, KY cops say

A woman was arrested on Election Day when she showed up drunk to a polling place and caused a disorder, Kentucky cops say.

An Oldham County deputy working polls at North Oldham High School on Tuesday, Nov. 7, said he was approached by a poll worker who said a disorder was happening between a woman and families who were in line.

When the deputy approached the 52-year-old woman, the deputy noticed the “smell (of) a very strong odor of alcohol coming from her (mouth),” the sheriff’s office said. She had “glassy bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.”

The woman, of Prospect, told the deputy children did not belong at the polling place.

“She would say kids should not be in there (and that) this is not a place for children and (they) were acting very badly, going around telling others in line who to vote for,” according to the citation.

But parents of the children refuted the woman’s story. They said the woman “would not stop yelling” at the kids who were waiting in line with their parents.

“Several kids got scared and started crying, which in turn caused one of the children’s parents to get on the lady for yelling at her kids and (a) heated argument started,” a deputy said.

The woman’s husband was in the parking lot and had driven her to the polling location, according to the court records. He said “he can’t control” his wife, telling the deputy they had a fight on the way to the high school and it likely carried over into her berating the children.

A preliminary breath test administered to the woman registered a 0.157, according to a citation. She was charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place and disorderly conduct.

North Oldham High School is in Goshen, about 15 miles northeast of Louisville.

This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 8:17 AM with the headline "Woman shows up drunk to polling place on Election Day and makes kids cry, KY cops say."