POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff's deputies arrested two employees of the Florida Department of Children and Family Services a day apart during unrelated incidents.
Evelyn Ross, 47, was arrested first when she crashed into a utility pole while allegedly driving drunk at 2 a.m. on Sunday in Lakeland. When the responding deputy arrived to the scene on Saddle Creek Road near Saddle Lake Park, he saw that her eyes were bloodshot and watery, and she smelled like alcohol, according to a news release.
The deputy said Ross admitted to "having a lot to drink." She reportedly failed the field sobriety tests and was arrested. Ross was taken to the hospital then released and transported to the jail.
Her blood alcohol concentrations were 0.197 and 0.190 with the legal limit being .08, the sheriff's office said. She was charged with the misdemeanors of DUI and DUI with property damage.
"Driving and crashing a car under the influence of alcohol sets a very poor example," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
The second arrest happened during a traffic stop after learning the registered owner of the vehicle had a suspended license.
The deputy pulled over Jayla Rae Robinson, 22, around 1 p.m. Monday on Highway 17 in Bartow. She told the deputy that she knew her license was suspended as she was pulled over two days before and given a citation for the same violation, according to the release.
Robinson was arrested for knowingly driving while her license was suspended. A 15-year-old child was in the car at the time whom she told deputies she was transporting to court. Another employee from the department picked up the child.
“We take DUI and DWLSR offenses very seriously, especially when the suspects are people in a position of trust in the community," Judd said.
