ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A Central Florida mother was taken into custody after her young daughter was spotted trying to wave down other drivers on the highway, according to the Apopka Police Department.
In an arrest affidavit, police said the incident happened on Tuesday evening along State Road 414, where the girl was seen waving her arms to get help outside an SUV on the side of the road.
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“A passerby made contact with the juvenile, who stated she was 6 years old,” the affidavit reads. “Dispatch further advised that the juvenile’s mother remained inside the vehicle and had been observed vomiting. According to the witness, the female appeared unconscious and had vomit on herself.”
Upon arrival, police said they began assessing the woman, who was later identified as 33-year-old Joelle Service.
At the time, she appeared “confused and disoriented” while interacting with first responders, and she wasn’t able to provide a clear explanation about why, police noted.
There was also damage seen on both the front and rear passenger-side doors of the vehicle, though Service claimed she wasn’t aware of any collision and didn’t know how the damage had occurred, the affidavit states.
“While speaking with Joelle, I observed that her eyes were glassy and bloodshot and that her speech was slurred,” the affidavit continues. “Officers on scene were informed by (Apopka Fire Department) personnel that Joelle stated she had consumed alcohol throughout the day and believed she was ‘good to drive home.’”
Police said they spoke with the girl, who explained that it was Service’s birthday and that the two had traveled to Wolf Branch Brewing in Mount Dora earlier that day.
Per the 6-year-old girl, Service had drunk several glasses of wine while in Mount Dora, and on their way home, she had been “driving badly” and struck several objects on the roadway.
“(She) advised that she became scared because Joelle was swerving and striking objects,” police wrote. “According to (the girl), Joelle eventually stopped on the shoulder of SR-414 because she began feeling ill.”
As a result of the incident, Service was taken into custody and now faces charges of DUI with a child in the vehicle and child neglect without great bodily harm.