Student calls 911 to report man driving him to school is drunk, Florida cops say
A student called 911 and begged a man driving him to school to pull over when he realized the man was drunk, Florida authorities said.
The morning of Jan. 10, the juvenile told deputies with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office he had to wake up the man multiple times to drive him to school, which he never had to do before, according to an arrest affidavit.
The student said he noticed four of five empty bottles of vodka, then the 36-year-old man started driving him to school, according to investigators.
McClatchy News reached out to the man’s attorney for comment Jan. 14 and did not immediately receive a response. McClatchy News is not identifying the suspect to protect the identity of the minor involved.
The juvenile told deputies the man was swerving and dosing off, stopping at green lights and almost crashing into a pole.
From the car, the boy contacted his grandmother and then his aunt, who told him to call the police, according to deputies.
In the 911 call, the boy was “heard yelling for help, crying” and saying the man wouldn’t pull over even when the juvenile was “begging him to,” investigators said in the affidavit.
Law enforcement found the vehicle in Port Charlotte and tried to pull the driver over, but he led officers on a low-speed chase until he had to stop for traffic, deputies said.
A deputy tried to block the vehicle from moving again, and that’s when the student got out of the car and walked to the side of the road, investigators said.
The man refused to get out of the vehicle when the deputy approached but rolled down the window to the point the deputy could reach in and unlock the door, according to the affidavit.
Other deputies arrived and said they had to pull the driver out of the car, then he refused to undergo sobriety tests and requested emergency medical personnel because he was having an anxiety attack.
Records show he was charged with willfully abusing a child without causing great bodily harm, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement officers, resisting an officer without violence and refusal to submit to testing.
Neither the juvenile’s age nor his relationship to the man were mentioned in the affidavit. McClatchy News reached out for more details.
Port Charlotte is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Fort Myers.
What to know about impaired driving
In 2020, nearly 12,000 people were killed in car crashes that involved drunk drivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 30 people die each day in crashes where a driver is believed to be drunk, the CDC reported.
“Safe driving requires focus, coordination, good judgment, and quick reactions to the environment,” the CDC said. “Any alcohol or other drug use impairs the ability to drive safely.”
A person’s blood alcohol concentration can be measured, and the legal limit for driving in most states is 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter. Experts, however, say even lower levels of alcohol concentration can cause impairment.
The CDC says everyone can help prevent drunk driving with these steps:
Don’t let friends drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Don’t ride with an impaired driver.
If you’re hosting a party, remind guests to plan ahead.
Arrange alternative transportation or have a designated driver.