A Central Florida father was taken into custody with his 5-year-old in the backseat.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a person-down call at the Shell gas station on 1665 Branch Forbes Road in Plant City.
When deputies arrived, they discovered Wimauma resident Patrick Voegtly, 26, passed out in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked next to a gas station.
His 5-year-old child was sitting in the backseat, telling deputies, “He’s just sleeping.”
Deputies also observed a weapon clearly visible inside the vehicle. Deputies detained Voegtly and discovered a second weapon in his pocket.
During the inquiry, deputies discovered Voegtly displayed signs of impairment, such as watery eyes and slurred speech. He declined to conduct field sobriety tests but did produce a breath sample that was more than double the legal BAC level of .08, according to local law officials. This led to the DUI arrest.
“This reckless decision could have ended in tragedy,” stated Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Driving under the influence is bad enough, but doing so with a youngster in the car while armed demonstrates a blatant disdain for others’ safety. Fortunately, deputies intervened before anyone was gravely injured.
Voegtly was arrested on counts of driving under the influence (over 0.15), child neglect, and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon or firearm.
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