Illinois residents may have heard the recent story about a woman who is accused of live streaming while she drove drunk. The 23-year-old woman used the social media app Periscope to film herself while she drove in Lakeland, Florida, on Oct. 10. While the video was being broadcast live, several Periscope users alerted authorities about what they noticed in the woman’s live stream.
Lakeland police say that the woman admitted she was drunk, had a flat tire and didn’t know where she was during the live stream. As the woman’s drive was being broadcast around the world, her Periscope account was bombarded with text messages telling her to stop driving. After receiving a report about the woman’s drunk driving broadcast, one Lakeland police officer opened up a Periscope account. Police officers then determined the woman’s location by identifying landmarks in the video stream.
As police officers were pulling the accused woman over to conduct a traffic stop, she allegedly struck a curb. The woman reportedly smelled like alcohol, refused to submit to a breath test and failed a field sobriety test. She was charged for driving under the influence of alcohol and then transported to Polk County Jail.
A person who has been charged for drunk driving after a similar incident may be able to avoid jail time by negotiating for a plea deal. Drunk driving charges may be less severe if there were no injuries caused by the incident, and the driver has no prior criminal record. An attorney may be able to help a DUI defendant to negotiate with the prosecution for fewer charges in exchange for a guilty plea.
Source: USA Today, “Woman live-streams herself while ‘drunk’ driving,” Oct. 13, 2015