DeLAND, Fla. – A Seminole County deputy was arrested Saturday after she was found passed out behind the wheel of her car at a traffic light in DeLand, police said.
Deputy Kristen Simpson, 29, is on administrative leave following her arrest, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said an officer pulled behind a silver Toyota Corolla at the intersection of South Woodland Boulevard and Taylor Road just before 1 a.m. At the time, the light was red, but when the light turned green the Corolla did not proceed through the intersection, records show.
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The officer said he honked his car, but the car remained stopped at the intersection with its brake lights on, according to the incident report.
Body-camera video shows the officer approach the car window and the driver of the car, Simpson, can be seen behind the wheel, seemingly asleep with two dogs inside.
The video shows the officer call for another cruiser to get in front of the Corolla before waking Simpson to prevent her from driving off.
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The video then shows the officer knocking on the driver’s side window several times to no effect. The officer is then seen banging on the roof of the car.
At that point, Simpson is seen waking up.
“Put your car in park. No! Put it in park!” the officer can be heard shouting on the video as the Corolla rolls into a Volusia Sheriff’s Office cruiser.
In the video, the officer asks for Simpson’s ID, which she stated was in her patrol car. When asked whether she is a member of law enforcement, Simpson confirmed that was a deputy with Seminole County, records show.
According to the incident report, Simpson refused to submit to field sobriety exercises or a breath test. Police said they searched her vehicle following her arrest and found three open White Claw containers.
Simpson faces a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to the sheriff’s office, she was hired in February 2020.
The sheriff’s office released the following statement about her arrest:
“The deputy has been placed on Administrative Leave with pay pending the outcome of the criminal investigation then our own internal investigation. For more detail we would need to refer you to the investigating agency.”
Seminole County Sheriff's Office
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