Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
From an online article in the sun-sentinel, a woman was arrested for a DUI. The twist? She is claiming she wasn’t driving…
26-year old Kimberly Martin of Florida was arrested early Thursday morning by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. There release gave a few more details.
An eyewitness saw Ms. Martin “speeding into the parking lot and slammed on the brakes in front of the gas pumps”. When the mother of four got out of the car, she was reeking of alcohol and had three small children in the backseat.
The eyewitness proceeded to take the keys away from the DUI suspect and police were called to the scene.
The suspect performed field sobriety exercises and failed them, per the police report. She was arrested on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence and during a search incident to arrest, she was found to have an oxycodone pill on her. The Sheriff’s office then charged her with a possession of a controlled substance. Later, the suspect took the breathalyzer test where she blew a .21 (the legal limit in Florida FYI is a .08-she blew almost THREE times the limit)!
The children, ranging in ages from 9 years to six months, were given to a family member.
What seemed like an open and shut case got a little weirder. In a jail house interview with the Ocala Star banner, the suspect continued to swear she was not driving. Rather, she claimed it was every wife’s arch-nemesis, the mother-in-law, who was actually driving.
Per the suspect, she was on her way to jail to bond her husband out. While on the way, she got in an arguement with the driver, the mysterious mother-in-law. At the gas station, the mom stormed off, leaving Kimberly alone. The only problem with this story is that there was a witness to Ms. Martin driving, nobody saw this mother-in-law and she was not seen on the gas station video!
Despite this stellar defense strategy, Ms. Martin may have even bigger problems. The police arrested her for the offenses of DUI, possession of oxycodone and tampering with evidence. These new arrests violated her probation . Ms. Martin was actually on probation at the time for ANOTHER DUI as well as a sale of a controlled substance.While it looks like the suspect may be facing a long jail/prison period, in reality, these charges could have been much, much worse. In many Florida counties, getting a DUI with children in the vehicle results in an additional charge of child abuse. Also, she could have had additional charges such as traffic offenses or giving false information to a police officer.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or a DUI? Then call the Clearwater DUI lawyers at Blake & Dorsten, P.A. today! These former prosecutors handle all criminal and personal injury cases throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida including Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Saint Petersburg, St. Pete Beach, Pasadena, Treasure Island, Reddington Beach, Largo, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Kenneth City, Dunedin and Tarpon Springs.
To speak directly with your Pinellas DUI attorney, call 727.286.6141 or click on the contact button. Blake & Dorsten, P.A…when your case matters!