Most parents hope they’ll be the ones protecting their children. In this case, Florida police say it was a 6-year-old who ended up getting help for her mother after she reportedly became unconscious behind the wheel along State Road 414.
A 6-year-old girl reportedly became the calmest person on the shoulder of State Road 414.
ClickOrlando, citing an Apopka Police arrest affidavit, reported the girl was seen waving her arms outside an SUV stopped on the shoulder of the highway Tuesday evening. A passerby stopped and learned the child was trying to get help for her mother, who remained inside the vehicle.
Dispatchers were told the woman appeared unconscious and had vomited on herself. When officers arrived, they identified her as 33-year-old Joelle Ruthanne Service and began assessing her condition.
Service appeared confused and disoriented while speaking with first responders. Officers also found damage to both passenger-side doors of the SUV, though Service reportedly told them she wasn’t aware of any collision and couldn’t explain how the damage occurred. Authorities have not said what, if anything, the SUV struck before coming to a stop.
What the Child Told Police
The arrest affidavit also includes the 6-year-old’s account of what happened before the SUV came to a stop. She told officers it was her mother’s birthday and that the two had spent the day at Wolf Branch Brewing in Mount Dora before heading home.
The girl said Service drank several glasses of wine at the brewery. During the drive home, she told officers the SUV was swerving, striking objects along the roadway, and that she became frightened.
The child told officers Service eventually pulled onto the shoulder of SR-414 because she was feeling ill.
Police Say Service Admitted Drinking
Officers noted that Service’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot and that her speech was slurred. Fire department personnel also told police Service admitted drinking throughout the day and believed she was “good to drive home.”
In addition to reviewing the local reporting, Guessing Headlights also reviewed Orange County Jail booking records. Those records show Service, of Sorrento, was booked by the Apopka Police Department on a DUI charge involving an unlawful blood alcohol level of .15 or higher or with a person under 18 in the vehicle. The booking report also lists a felony child neglect charge.
Those same records show Service was later released from the Orange County Jail on Wednesday evening, corroborating the arrest and the formal charges detailed in the local reporting.
What Happens Next
The charges against Service will now move through the Orange County court system. As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations, and Service is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Police have not released any additional information about the child’s condition beyond what was described in the arrest affidavit, nor have they identified what objects the SUV may have struck before stopping along SR-414.
As more information becomes available through court filings or additional public records, we’ll update this story accordingly.
It’s a reminder that the responsibility behind the wheel doesn’t pause for a birthday celebration, and that sometimes the bravest person in the car is the one who’s only six years old.