A Minneola woman was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after exhibiting erratic behavior and failing a sobriety test.
A deputy responded to a domestic disturbance at the home of 35-year-old Sheila Marie Santiago on Chelsea Parc Drive in Minneola around 8:50 p.m. Monday, June 29, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Dispatch advised that she had come to the residence and was involved in a confrontation regarding her Autistic son.
During the investigation, Santiago drove by the residence and was stopped nearby. She abruptly pulled off and put her car in reverse, almost hitting a patrol vehicle in the process. Her erratic behavior prompted field sobriety exercises, the report said.
Santiago lost her balance and did not follow instructions. During one of the exercises, she stated she was “modeling,” and she never completed the next. Her performance led the deputy to conclude she was under the influence, the report said.
She was subsequently handcuffed and placed in the back of the patrol vehicle. She became verbally agitated and made numerous statements while being taken to jail. She repeatedly stated she only wanted to retrieve her son, and her mother had called the police to falsely claim that she was drunk, the report said.
She stated multiple times that she wished she had been drinking and asked for vodka. The deputy smelled the strong odor of alcohol coming from her once she was inside his patrol vehicle. She later refused to take a breath test, the report said.
Santiago was charged with DUI and refusal to submit to blood alcohol level test. The Massachusetts native was booked at Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.