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Woman Arrested For Driving Drunk Through Sinkhole

Posted: 6:43 am EST December 29, 2004Updated: 5:27 pm EST December 29, 2004

Donna Zinck

DELTONA, Fla. -- A Deltona woman is in jail after she allegedly drove drunk over the city's large sinkhole. Deputies say she managed to maneuver through a maze of cones before going into the hole and then driving back out of it.

People who live in Donna Zinck's neighborhood are surprised the 38-year-old mother was arrested for driving drunk into a sinkhole.

Zinck was somber as she appeared before a judge on Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, she was on her way home after celebrating her husband's birthday in Daytona Beach. According to police reports, Zinck was getting off of I-4 and turned onto Howland Boulevard.

Deputies say she did not have her headlights on and managed to maneuver through the barricades, barrels, trucks and sheriff tape without hitting anything. Deputies say Zinck drove her SUV into the sinkhole and then drove out of it.

"We had security. It was very well marked. It's somewhat amazing a person was able to get through," says Volusia County spokesperson Dave Byron.

Zinck was given a sobriety test and deputies say she was swaggering, her eyes were blood shot, and they could smell alcohol on her breath. When deputies decided to arrest her, she told them, "I did not drink that much. I was trying to have fun with my husband." Zinck's husband was in the passenger seat of the SUV.

When deputies tried to get her to take a breathalyzer test, she had a hard time blowing into the machine and refused. She was charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence.

County officials say the sinkhole was 80 percent filled and Zinck is lucky she didn't hurt herself or her husband.

Zinck's bond is set at $500. Back in June of 2003, she pled guilty in a reckless driving and DUI case.

Meanwhile, crews are busy repairing the sinkhole. The county says it has tested the soil every step of the way. Every two feet of soil that is put in, a soil compacting test is performed. The tests will ensure there will not be any sinkage in the future. It should all be finished in a couple of weeks.

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