Florida woman with 3X BAC limit drank ‘a lot of vodka’ before crashing car in front of troopers: FHP

FORT MYERS, Fla. - A Florida woman was arrested for driving under the influence early Wednesday morning after crashing into a metal guardrail directly in front of a state trooper at an intersection in Fort Myers.  

DUI crash arrest

What we know:

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a state trooper was stopped behind a Chevrolet sedan at 1:24 a.m. in the eastbound left-turn lane of State Road 82 at Ortiz Avenue in Fort Myers, waiting for a green arrow. When the signal changed, troopers said the driver hesitated before accelerating toward oncoming traffic, suddenly turning 90 degrees left and hitting a metal guardrail. 

Troopers identified the driver as Kathy Ann Gilliam, 59, of Fort Myers, noting she showed clear signs of intoxication. 

According to FHP, Gilliam told investigators she consumed "a lot of vodka" and subsequently lost her balance and fell while attempting a walk-and-turn field sobriety exercise. 

High blood alcohol concentration

By the numbers:

Troopers said breath samples provided by Gilliam registered a .225 blood alcohol concentration. That reading is nearly three times higher than the legal driving limit of .08 in Florida. 

Driver booked into jail

What's next:

Troopers arrested Gilliam on a charge of driving under the influence. Authorities transported and booked her into the Lee County Jail. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Florida Highway Patrol, which detailed the arrest in a release, as well as Lee County Jail records.