A woman talking on the phone with cats traveling along in her Mercedes was arrested on Interstate 75 in Sumter County.
A Road Ranger contacted law enforcement after a 2006 Mercedes with Mississippi plates with 48-year-old Stephanie Yvonne Winters of Destin behind the wheel was found parked on the shoulder of the southbound lane of traffic near Mile Marker 333 on I-75, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
When a deputy arrived on the scene, the Road Ranger told him that Winters had two cats in the car and she smelled of alcohol. The Tennessee native had “slurred speech” and “bloodshot eyes,” the report said. She claimed she had consumed three beers about six hours earlier. She said she had been talking on her phone and changing stations on the radio when the Road Ranger arrived on the scene. She also admitted she had taken medication she probably should not have mixed with alcohol.
Winters struggled through field sobriety exercises and provided breath samples that registered .289 and .279 blood alcohol content. A criminal history check revealed Winters had previously been convicted of driving under the influence in Mississippi.
She was arrested on a DUI charge and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. She was released after posting $2,000 bond.