Sunday afternoon a Flagler Beach police officer was dispatched to the 600 block of South Ocean Shore Boulevard after getting a report that a woman was passed out at the wheel of her car. The officer discovered Tiffany Pond, 24, unconscious in the driver’s seat, the car was running, the radio was playing loudly—and an infant was in the front passenger seat, unwatched.
The child had a cell phone charger cord wrapped around its neck twice, according to a police report, and a strong odor of alcohol; was coming out of the car—though how the officer could smell the alcohol is unclear: the officer describes how he then spent three minutes banging on the driver’s side window to awaken the woman, unsuccessfully.
Because a child was in the car, the officer proceeded to open the door. Pond eventually woke up after the officer shook her arm. She had “large pupils, glassy eyes, and struggled to answer my questions,” the officer reported. “The driver’s side floor board of the vehicle was also wet and had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from it.”
Pond, the report states, was disoriented and herself smelled of alcohol. The child, a girl, had soiled diapers. An open alcoholic beverage was in the center console. “It is unknown if the infant consumed any of the open alcoholic beverage and also unknown exactly how long the infant was uncared for,” the report states.
Pond agreed to perform field sobriety tests. She did not do well and was arrested on a drunk driving charge. Two breath tests were conducted, yielding results of .177 and .179 blood-alcohol level. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08. The child was turned over to the woman’s boyfriend. Pond, of 70 Locust Pass Run in Ocala, was also charged with child neglect, a felony, and taken to the Flagler County jail.
Gladfly says
The blue hair gave it away.
Worried Grammy says
Take the baby away, put her in a program. If she passes all random drug tests and stays out of trouble for a YEAR, then maybe she can work at getting her child back…EARN the right to be a good mother
Anonymous says
One can only hope that that child does not have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Jimw says
Why would you give the baby to the boyfriend? Foster the baby for a week till a very thorough interview is done with anyone that is involved with the child.
Over it says
I thought Flagler County changed their bonding out policies? They were suppose to be tougher penalties but yet they let a drunk driver bond out. What’s worse is she had her daughter with her!! She never should’ve been let out of jail. This county has had way to many to many accidents and deaths due to drinking and driving. We need harsher penalties to many innocent people dying!! This county needs to step up and do something about this problem!!
What??? says
Why would the officer wait three minutes to finally open the vehicle door after seeing the child with a cell phone cord wrapped around
His/her neck should have been immediately!!!!!