Despite being fully clean and just weary following a long shift, a Covid-19 nurse from Tennessee had her kid taken into foster care for weeks after being caught for driving under the influence (DUI).
According to recent local reports, Kathryn Slayton, a single mum from Franklin, was detained on September 21, last year after picking up her kid from daycare.
According to a police complaint, a daycare staff said that a woman who came to pick up her five-year-old kid seemed to be under the effect of an unknown narcotic.
Lydia Uselton, the complainant, said Ms Slayton appeared odd and was speaking to herself, scratching her head while she let the youngster go around the parking lot.
Ms Uselton dialed 911 as the mom and kid climbed into their car and prepared to depart the daycare parking area. According to police records, officers came shortly after and halted Ms Slayton as she was exiting the parking lot.
According to the allegation, Ms Slayton exhibited slurred speech and her motions and gestures appeared to be delayed.
When questioned if she had been drunk or taking drugs, she stated that she took Adderall and Prozac for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
She indicated she had taken her medication earlier that morning, has not taken any since, and has not taken anything else, according to the complaint.
According to cops, she was detained based on her demeanor, difficulty speaking, and result on the field sobriety test.
After Ms Slayton notified authorities that she had no friends or relatives in the area, her son was put with child services.
Ms Slayton also had a blood test, which was used as proof.
She claimed that her kid was held in state care for nine weeks while she awaited blood alcohol results, which came after six months and revealed that she was not inebriated.
Ms Slayton described herself as “totally astonished” when cops requested her to pull over that day.
She had no idea anyone felt she was disabled, she stated.
Ms Slayton explained that she had the day off after spending 41 hours in three days caring for Covid patients.
Bodycam footage from the incident shows Ms Slayton trembling when the cops execute the one-leg test.
She realized, oh God, if she didn’t pass this sobriety test, she would not be able to take her son home, she expressed. She started shivering when she realized that.
She knew she didn’t perform well on the field exam, she explained, yet she genuinely assumed they’d be able to recognize the distinction between a person who was sleepy and a person who was actually impaired.
The accusations against her were dismissed six months later when a blood alcohol test revealed she was not inebriated.
She described being separated from her kid as the “greatest agony” she had ever felt.
It seemed as though a piece of her was missing.
The Franklin Police Department issued a statement defending the officers’ choice to detain Ms Slayton depending on her results on the sobriety test and bodycam footage.
The Department of Children Services was notified as there was nobody to take custody of the youngster. They, not the Franklin Police Department, held authority over the child’s next moves. The Franklin Police Department has no control over how blood tests are processed, the statement read.
According to the statement, the police made the right decision to ensure the safety of the kid, Ms Slayton, and other drivers, and a magistrate determined probable cause to sustain charges.
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