A Clermont woman was arrested for child neglect after allegedly drinking and backing into another vehicle with juveniles in her SUV.
A deputy responded to The Oaks at Southlake Commons, 130 Town Center Blvd., Clermont, for a vehicle accident around 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The caller advised that a 36-year-old resident, Dolores Light, had struck his parked vehicle with a grey SUV and had not given her insurance information.
Upon arrival, the deputy went to Light’s suspected apartment. Two juveniles opened the door, explaining that Light was asleep and would not wake up. She was breathing, but the deputy still grabbed his AED and Narcan from his patrol vehicle, the report said.
His second attempt to speak with the juveniles did not immediately receive an answer. One of the juveniles went to an outside-facing window to let him know that Light still was not waking up. The juveniles opened the door, and the deputy found Light asleep on the couch with a blanket, the report said.
He checked her pulse to make sure she was breathing and heard her snore. She did not respond to talking or being shaken, but she made several noises that indicated she might be awakening. The deputy then asked EMS to evaluate Light due to her unresponsiveness, the report said.
Shortly after, an unidentified person arrived at the residence and was able to wake up Light. The report noted Light was nude from the waist down.
Light originally stated she was not involved in a crash and was not driving her vehicle. However, the juveniles had already told the deputy that they had just gotten home and were in an accident. Light appeared extremely confused and emotional at the time, the report said.
When asked for information related to the crash, she looked through her purse in confusion. She flipped through her cards to find her driver’s license without success. She instead threw her phone onto the counter in front of the deputy and stated, “Here you go.” The voicemail she provided was not relevant to the crash, the report said.
She proceeded to go into her contacts and again dropped her phone on the counter, saying it was the correct information. The unidentified person subsequently found the driver’s license in the purse Light had fumbled through. Although she again denied involvement in a crash, Light admitted to driving her car on the way back from a residence, the report said.
At that point, the deputy went back outside to speak with the caller about what happened. EMS arrived at that time and transported Light to the Four Corners ER because she could not answer basic questions, like what year it was, the report said.
The caller then advised that Light had hit his vehicle and reparked. She admitted fault, giving her name and phone number, but she could not enter her number without his help. She looked confused, with slurred speech and half-opened eyes. He also saw the juveniles get out of her vehicle, the report said.
The children stated that after going inside their apartment, Light fell twice before passing out on the couch. They tried to shake her awake but were unsuccessful. They recalled a similar incident in which Light just went to the couch and fell asleep, the report said.
Later, at the ER, Light stated the crash had happened at about 5 mph. Both juveniles were in the second row of the SUV at the time, the report said.
Light also agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises, during which she lost her balance and forgot instructions. Her performance led the deputy to conclude she was under the influence. When placed in the back of a patrol vehicle, she stated several times that she was sorry, the report said.
Light cried and became very emotional on the way to jail. Once there, she stated she drank at a bar on U.S. Hwy. 27 around 5:45 p.m. and then drove home after having “one drink.” Based on the time frame, law enforcement believed she drank after picking up the juveniles, the report said.
A subsequent breath test resulted in 0.133 and 0.132. The report noted the samples were received five hours after Light was alleged to have drunk.
Light was charged with DUI, DUI with property damage and child neglect. The New Jersey native was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $4,500 bond.