An Orlando woman was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence for her inability to maintain a lane but claimed she only had three sips of wine.
Police observed the driver of a blue Mazda sedan, later identified as 42-year-old Britiane Oliveira Schmer, bouncing between the left and right lines of a traffic lane on U.S. Hwy. 27 at 1:44 a.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
The officer continued to watch the vehicle due to suspicions of impairment, and he saw Schmer fail to maintain a lane by swerving in and out. This violation led the officer to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle did not obey at first but eventually slowly rolled onto the right side of the road, the report said.
Upon speaking with Schmer, the officer explained the reason for the stop and requested her license and registration. She immediately provided her license but never her registration. During this time, the officer noticed that Schmer’s eyes were glassy and watery. All he could smell was her very potent air freshener as if she had just sprayed it, the report said.
Because of Schmer’s driving patterns and the indicators of impairment, she was asked to participate in field sobriety exercises. After she agreed, Schmer exited her vehicle. She had to keep both of her hands on the driver’s side door to hold her balance as she got out. She also seemed unsteady by the way she was using her arms for balance while walking out of the roadway, the report said.
Schmer’s performance during the exercises, which included failure to follow instructions, led the officer to conclude she was under the influence of something, the report said. She told the officer that she was on the way home from her boyfriend’s house where she had three sips of wine at about 10 p.m. However, breath tests resulting in .000 did not corroborate this as the reason for her impairment.
Due to this, a drug recognition expert was requested from Apopka PD. He later examined Schmer and confirmed indicators of impairment. In addition, Schmer agreed to provide a urine sample. This was taken by a female officer from the Fruitland Park Police Department and packaged to be tested later, the report said.
The native Brazilian was ultimately arrested on charge of DUI. She was transported to the Lake County Jail and released after posting $1,000 bond.
