A Florida woman is facing several charges after deputies say she drove drunk through Flagler County, crashing into several pieces of property and nearly hitting another driver head-on. Deputies say her blood alcohol level was more than twice Florida’s legal limit. When they asked about the extensive damage to the front of her car and its missing bumper, she insisted, “It was already like that.”
The incident began around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Bunnell, after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a reckless driver. The caller said they had nearly been hit head-on and continued following the vehicle while providing dispatchers with updates.
Deputies say the vehicle left the roadway several times, striking a culvert, a fence, and a mailbox before they located it. They identified the driver as 23-year-old Perla Chacon.
On body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office, Chacon is asked to explain the condition of her car. She repeatedly insists she hadn’t hit anything and that the damage was already there. Deputies also reported she had slurred speech, smelled strongly of alcohol, and later failed field sobriety exercises.
Bodycam Captures Driver’s Explanation for the Missing Bumper
What Does More Than Twice the Legal Limit Mean?
In Florida, a driver is considered legally impaired with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08. Deputies say Chacon’s breath samples measured 0.172 and 0.167, both more than twice the legal limit.
At those levels, alcohol can significantly affect coordination, reaction time, judgment, and decision-making. Investigators say Chacon’s vehicle repeatedly left the roadway before striking a culvert, a fence, and a mailbox.
Perhaps the most alarming part of the incident wasn’t the damaged property. Deputies say another driver reported nearly being hit head-on before calling 911 and following the vehicle while updating dispatchers. That information ultimately helped deputies locate the car before anyone was seriously hurt.
Why So Many Charges?
The long list of charges isn’t necessarily unusual. In Florida, prosecutors can file separate counts for each instance of DUI-related property damage, as well as separate counts for each allegation of leaving the scene of a property-damage crash.
According to deputies, that’s how this incident resulted in one DUI charge, three DUI-with-property-damage charges, and three counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage.
Sheriff Staly’s message was straightforward: impaired driving is dangerous, and planning ahead with a designated driver or rideshare is far easier than dealing with the consequences of a DUI arrest.
The charges against Chacon are allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.