Mother Over 4× the Legal Limit Crashes With 8-Year-Old in Car, Blames “Black Truck”

On October 31, 2021, deputies responded to a reported vehicle crash at Whiteview Parkway and Pritchard Drive in Palm Coast, Florida. A civilian witness reported seeing a vehicle crash into a guardrail and observed smoke coming from the front of the car. The witness identified the driver as Katelyn Brown, who was seated in the driver’s seat and appeared to be in control of the vehicle.

When deputies spoke with Brown, she gave conflicting and inconsistent explanations about how the crash occurred, claiming at different points that a “black truck” ran her off the road from both in front of and behind her. Deputies noted she appeared disoriented, had slurred speech, difficulty maintaining balance, and seemed unaware of her location. Brown admitted to consuming alcohol earlier in the evening.

After the crash investigation concluded, deputies initiated a DUI investigation. Brown attempted field sobriety exercises but showed multiple indicators of impairment and was unable to complete them as instructed. An open container of alcohol was later found inside the vehicle, and an 8-year-old child was confirmed to be a passenger at the time of the crash.

Brown consented to breath testing following a 20-minute observation period. Breath samples recorded BAC levels of 0.335 and 0.322, more than four times the legal limit. She was subsequently arrested for DUI with a passenger under 18 and transported to the Flagler County Inmate Facility.