POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Winter Haven woman was arrested early Thursday morning after authorities say she crashed her SUV into a tree and a fence, then attempted to flee the scene on foot while heavily intoxicated.
The incident occurred around 2:35 a.m. along Eloise Loop Road. According to a witness at the scene, a 2023 Kia Sportage veered off the road and collided with both a tree and a nearby fence. The witness reported seeing a woman jump out of the damaged vehicle and run away immediately following the impact.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrived shortly after and began a search of the immediate area. They located a suspect, identified as 33-year-old Jessica Lee Lawson, walking along the shoulder of the road roughly 1,000 feet from where the Kia had come to a rest.
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Reporting deputies noted that Lawson smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot, watery eyes, and spoke with slurred, mumbled speech.
During the investigation, Lawson reportedly told deputies she had consumed three beers and several shots of tequila prior to getting behind the wheel. A search of the abandoned Kia Sportage turned up an empty bottle of Don Julio Blanco Tequila.
Lawson was asked to perform a series of Field Sobriety Tests but was unable to complete them successfully. She was subsequently arrested and transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center. While there, she submitted to breathalyzer tests, which returned results of 0.19 and 0.18—more than double the legal driving limit of 0.08 in the state of Florida.
Lawson now faces charges of DUI with a blood alcohol level over .15 and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage.
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