[Applause]
you need to put him down
you need to put him down hey
I get a drunk but did you like actually
handcuff me and prove that I was drunk I
think she's never seen one of the babies
right now there's five
do you hear all my kids I do you don't
care no I do care very much when a woman
is pulled over out of suspicion that
she's driving Under the Influence police
are shocked to discover five screaming
and crying children in the back seat of
her car
soon the officer's Focus shifts away
from the woman and toward finding care
for the distressed children the scene is
one of utter chaos that breaks my heart
that that precious little baby it's
April 23 2023 and it's a calm cool
Monday night and the peaceful family
community of Newberry Florida yet when a
woman looks out her window she finds her
backyard a glow in the lights of a car
parked haphazardly in her yard the
driver of the car 29 year old Samantha
Fletcher stumbles through the grass
aimlessly peering in the windows and the
door of the home startled the homeowner
calls 9-1-1 about the suspicious driver
when officers arrive at the residence
Samantha has already driven off into the
night fortunately it doesn't take
officers long the locator they find
Samantha driving down a rural stretch of
road and are only able to stop her after
they use their Cruiser to box her in
where is it at do you know where the key
is
[Applause]
sweetheart hang on just a minute okay
you know where the key is no okay can
you step out for just a minute let me
find the key and let me make sure your
kids are okay do you know where you're
at yes where are you at
do you know where you're at yeah where
on the road back home okay where is home
do you know where home is yes where
do you know what your address is
which which is what
um
you don't have to answer okay do you
have any ID tell me where it is don't I
don't want you to go in the carport
all right well hold tight stay right
there yeah oh
it seems Samantha also brought her dog
along for this strange Drive I just I
just hold on just hold on you're fine
what's your name
are you okay
Samantha isn't eager to talk now but
she'll have plenty to say later you guys
okay
okay
can you answer me
you live in this town do you know where
you're at
where's that
okay is that where you're at right now
I need to know if you have somebody that
can help you come figure out what's
going on with your kids and with you
are you having a medical issue right now
no okay well then how come you can't
tell me where you're at
are you embarrassed by what
that's the answer
I mean we're just trying to help you
and so I I need you to answer
because I need to figure out what's
going on and why you have kids in the
car and is there something medically
going on with you is there something
else
I
meltdown
okay well don't feel dumb we need to
figure out what's wrong
his dad was like
it's no big deal take them home
okay not
legal guardian
um his mom okay
his dad
apparently sucks okay detectives take
what little information Samantha has
given them and do some searches to see
if they can contact any of the
children's fathers to come and collect
them if they can't officers will have a
big problem on their hands she's still
dressing
okay
um
[Music]
he's gonna do it
take note of the open containers and
Samantha's front seat they definitely
don't help her case in addition the
officers on scene note that Samantha and
her vehicle smell heavily of alcohol
I just don't want I want that front door
closed oh I'm no okay sorry go back to
stand where you were I think she's never
seen one of the babies right now
there's five
that's what she's working right now is
trying to call someone that she's
related to
what do you can you set the baby down
[Music]
what are you doing
[Music]
what are you doing can I nurse okay just
okay yeah that's fine
while nursing an infant refraining from
drinking any alcoholic beverages is
ideal averaging more than one drink per
day which the CDC categorizes as
moderate consumption can be damaging to
an infant's development growth and sleep
patterns
hey baby
okay you're gonna come over here you
almost dropped your baby on his head yes
yeah I had to catch it
the child she nearly dropped is only six
weeks old yet Samantha still has the
gall to make this next statement
s
that's just
are you interested in her now before we
walk if we do that I get what you're
saying she just can't get along around
the kids anymore because she like them
things are following herself
car seat
where it was oh the most precious thing
happened
here I'm sorry
I didn't do anything wrong
my name is Deputy winkfield County
Sheriff's Office some people were
worried about you and these deputies
found you and they're a little bit
worried about you driving there's some
exercises that we can put you through
they're voluntary they're to make sure
that you're safe to drive would you be
willing to do that for us yeah okay
you don't have to you can put your hands
right here if you are
so hot right there
can you hear all my kids
I do you don't care no I do care very
much
we're just trying to make sure you're
okay and then we'll get you out of here
okay
all right come stand right here for me
and I would like you to turn faith this
way face me
the officer explains to Samantha that
they're going to run through a few
exercises that will help confirm or deny
that she's intoxicated however Samantha
seems to be worried about something else
entirely the camera on the officer's
chest
I want you to follow this with your eyes
okay back up just a little bit right
there
I'm down by your side honey
the sheet officers are marking here is
the drug and alcohol influence report
which can be used to support the
officer's claim that Samantha is
intoxicated even if she refuses a blood
breath or urine test as you can see
Samantha didn't exactly pass it all
right name the next one is going to be
the walking turn okay
what I want you to do is I want you to
place your left foot on the watch tank I
want you to place your left foot on the
line
I want to place your right foot on the
line ahead of your left foot with the
heel of the right foot against the toe
of the left foot okay
place your arms down at your side like
so okay
keep this position until I tell you to
begin you understand yeah okay
there's two there's two deputies back
there man we've got two deputies back
there that are taking it
I can see them from where I'm standing
deputies right there are taking as good
appearance as they can be taken care of
okay okay all right go ahead and like I
had you before just put your your toes
and your heels together like this
you don't want to do this no I do I'm
just
do you want to do these exercises I do I
just I'm sorry okay okay don't start
walking until I tell you to I just want
you to get with your right foot in front
of your left foot like this look at look
at how I'm standing I know I'm I'm
missing you just stand just like this
you can't um you can't yeah
are you do you want to keep trying or do
you want to move on
I I don't know what that means
do you want to keep trying this or move
on
you don't want to move on
officers are forced to Mark stopped and
cannot perform the exercise on the
Alcohol drug influence report it's
certainly not looking good for Samantha
or her kids this is our last one called
the one leg stand the officer then
instructs Samantha on the next test do
you understand the instructions
you may begin
are you gonna do the exercise because if
you say you can't and then you start
again you're confusing me a little bit
are you going to do it or no I'm fine
well you said you can't so I'm just
trying to make sure that you're gonna do
it
okay
this test also proves to be a lost cause
I'm gonna do one last one
close your eyes and tilt your head back
put your arms out like an airplane
count as high as you can until I tell
you to stop
she doesn't want to take a breath test
which is a shame because if she blew 0.5
would charge her with the enhancement
often if the subject's BAC is a certain
level and there are children in the car
a DUI charge itself could be enhanced to
a felony of some sort have you ever been
in trouble before
no I'm gonna redo some stuff as soon as
we get you sat down okay but this
actually isn't Samantha's first time
receiving Her Miranda rides despite her
claim in 2014 when Samantha was just 21
she was arrested for a DUI though this
is her second time she still seems to
struggle to understand exactly what's
happening
DUI can I get like let go tonight or no
you'll we'll talk about that here in
just a second it seems that after
officers leave Samantha alone it all
finally starts to sink in
hey
can I take a test yeah we you can when
we get to the jail can I do it now no we
have to do it at the jail that's what
the law says with that the officer takes
Samantha to jail on the way her strange
comments only grow more nonsensical so
at the point do you
have it
you have it on right now
head on all night bud
so can I call my husband now
or y'all won't let me
oh yeah y'all like to control that don't
you
how are y'all dropping me off to the
jail
thanks Bubba is there anyone coming to
get my kids
they're gonna probably go foreign
that means nothing can you like let me
help you call him no ma'am
oh okay thanks bud Samantha's sarcastic
bitter attitude Wayne's for just a
moment when the severity of the
Department of Children and Family
Services getting involved hits her can I
please tell them goodbye
is please
please please well you did this so
um
I didn't drunk but did you like actually
handcuff me and prove that I was drunk
did you
or do you block it out on your camera
are you sure
foreign
it's safe to say Samantha would probably
be comfortable going her whole life
without seeing the officer's footage
back at the scene officers and deputies
scrambled to figure out what to do with
their children
sucks but
that breaks my heart that that precious
little baby instead of resorting to
calling DCFS some of the dedicated
officers stayed with the children for
over four hours caring for them and
feeding them as they waited for a
guardian to arrive and fortunately a
family member took the children into
their care upon arriving at the jail
Samantha Fletcher refused to take a
breath test to measure her blood alcohol
content ultimately she was charged with
driving under the influence and child
neglect