A Gainesville woman was arrested on DUI charges Saturday night after driving with her two-year-old and four-year-old children in the backseat.
Her blood alcohol content was nearly four times the legal limit, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report.
Jehan Daniels, 23, is accused of driving recklessly while under the influence and with a suspended license, causing a car accident and putting her children in danger, according to the report.
Police first received word of Daniels at about 10:30 p.m. when Gainesville resident Aaron Kahn called 911 and said he was following a 2007 blue Mazda5 near the intersection of Northwest Sixth Street and West University Avenue, according to the report.
As Daniels traveled toward UF’s campus, Kahn told police the car had driven on the sidewalk and swerved in and out of its lane multiple times, according to the report. Kahn stopped following Daniels when she sped through the changing streetlight at the intersection of Northwest 13th Street and West University Avenue.
Gainesville Police’s helicopter, AIR-1, was in the air at the time and followed Daniels’ car as she swerved along the road near Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, said GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias.
Tobias said Daniels then continued driving on Southwest Second Avenue before turning on Northwest 25th Street and heading back for West University Avenue. She stopped at the intersection but nearly drove into oncoming traffic.
Daniels spontaneously tried turning left onto West University Avenue, pulling forward and colliding with another car, according to the report.
When police arrived, Daniels asked if she could drive herself home, not realizing her car was wrecked, according to report.
Police noticed a heavy smell of alcohol from Daniels as she spoke and conducted field sobriety tests. Her blood alcohol content was 0.318, Tobias said. The legal limit in Florida is below 0.08, nearly four times less than Daniels’ level.
Police said Daniels went through intense mood swings and called the arresting officer a “dumba-- kracka” and said his “people” used to own “her people,” according to the report.
Daniels’ two children were in the backseat during the accident, according to the report. Both were uninjured and were later picked up by their grandparents, who responded from out of town, Tobias said.
GPD rarely sees cases of drunk driving that involve children as passengers, he said.
Daniels faces a charge of DUI and driving with a suspended license, as well as two charges of child neglect. As of Monday evening, she remains in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $150,000 bond.
Tobias said police can’t be everywhere at once and is glad Khan took initiative when he did to call the authorities.
“We thoroughly appreciate the public acting as extra eyes and ears for us,” Tobias said. “The safety of the city depends on all of us working together.”
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
Jehan Daniels, 23.
