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68-Year-Old Driver Arrested By Mounted Patrol

Deputies patrolling on horses caught a 68-year-old drunk driver near Lake Underhill Road and the 408 on Tuesday and it was captured on a cell phone camera.

The 68-year-old woman struggled to keep her balance and finally fell on the ground where she stayed. The Orange County deputies were patrolling on their horses in her neighborhood when they heard about a possible drunk driver in a blue Chevy. They spotted Ruth Brown just as she was pulling in her driveway on Alder Avenue (see map).


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VIDEO REPORT: Mounted Patrol Arrests Driver

"She knew we were law enforcement, uh, immediately, soon as she got out of her car. That's when she yelled at us that she loved our horses and wanted to pet them," said Corp. John Ramsey, Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Brown had no idea the deputies on horses were about to arrest her. The incident report even explains how she went on about how she wanted to "pet the puppies" and admitted she had been drinking.

"She continued to show us not one, two, but three, not wine glasses, but large water cups that she had drank already that day," Ramsey said.

In 2006, 848 people were caught drinking and driving. In 2007 the number was at 515. The numbers were up again in 2008.

It was the first DUI arrest for the mounted deputies, but people like Brown are always fooled into thinking they're just deputies on horses. They even got one man who really wanted to pet the horses and a quick check showed he was a wanted man.

"The day before, his buddy was arrested and said, 'Stay away from the horses,' and he was just drawn to them so he winds up going to jail, as well, had several warrants," Ramsey said.

Brown was released from the Orange County jail and investigators said they believe her blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit.
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