PALM COAST, Fla. — A Palm Coast woman was arrested Sunday after a concerned person reported that she appeared intoxicated and had damaged her vehicle by striking a handicapped parking sign, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies found 63-year-old Connie Collins sitting behind the wheel of a running Nissan in a parking lot. They said a clear cup containing a dark liquid was inside the vehicle and that they smelled alcohol coming from Collins.
When Collins opened the driver’s door, deputies said she poured out the drink and told them she was making room for more ice.
According to the sheriff’s office, Collins had difficulty maintaining her balance and had watery, bloodshot eyes. She declined to participate in field sobriety exercises and was taken into custody.
Collins later told detention deputies that she had consumed “Lemon Ice Teas and mozzarella sticks” at a bowling alley and drank a bottle of wine at home before encountering deputies, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators said Collins initially agreed to provide a breath sample but did not complete the test. She was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and refusing to submit to DUI testing.
“A citizen who ‘saw something and said something’ by calling is the reason this ended in a parking lot instead of a head-on crash,” Sheriff Rick Staly said.
Collins was released from the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on a $500 bond.
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