Colleen Loughman, 43, a former teacher, was arrested on a DUI charge after being pulled over in Fort Lauderdale. The arrested happened on March 8, on the Northbound side of I-95. Much of the stop and the subsequent interaction with the arresting Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper was caught on the patrol car’s dash cam.
Loughman’s Kia Sorrento was missing the right front tire and the wheel was severely damaged. Loughman, a former middle school teacher in Broward and Palm Beach counties had driven several miles on a tireless wheel, the trooper said. She also had hr 2-year-old son in the backseat. He was asleep in his toddler seat. The interior of the SUV was littered with papers, open food containers and spilled yogurt.
All of those pieces of evidence point to a driver whose normal faculties were impaired. This is part of the legal standard in Florida for determining that a driver is guilty of a criminal offense. A DUI criminal defense attorney will be able to use that rule and the other rules to make sure the suspect gets a fair trail.
If she was driving, or just in the driver seat, when the FHP officer approached her, this meets another Florida standard, that of being in “actual physical control of the vehicle”. A Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney could help Ms. Loughman defend herself based on how well or poorly those standards were used in making an arrest.
The FHP trooper who pulled her over asked if she was OK. Loughman said she was just trying to get home. The trooper reported that she was slurring her speech and that her breath smelled like alcohol. The affidavit also noted that her eyes were bloodshot and her appearance was “very disheveled” with her front zipper down.
Loughman was previously arrested on a DUI charge in Palm Beach in 2009 according to court records. Her son is now staying with his father.
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is one of the most common criminal charges in the Miami metropolitan area.
If you or someone you know has been in a similar situation please contact our law firm. Criminal Defense Attorney Kenneth Hassett has been practicing law in Miami, Dade County, Broward County, and Fort Lauderdale since 1991.
