Woman accused of DUI with minors in the trunk, backseat of car, FHP says

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

A woman in Fort Myers is accused of DUI with minors in the car, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Troopers said that they stopped a silver Kia Sportage on Saturday night that was traveling along Colonial Boulevard. They said the Kia failed to stop at the turn signal and made a right turn onto SR-82.

The Kia accelerated to 76 mph before being stopped by troopers. Troopers said the driver, Katherine Marie Gonzalez, 18, was not wearing a seatbelt and showed signs of impairment. When troopers opened the trunk of the car, they said, they found two minors lying down without seat belts and attempting to hide with an open container of alcohol.

In the backseat were four other kids, also not wearing seat belts. Troopers said that the only person wearing a seat belt in the car was an 18-year-old in the front passenger seat.

Gonzalez reportedly initially claimed that she did not drink any alcohol. Later, troopers said she admitted to drinking one Four Loko, additional shots of tequila and another drink. Gonzalez reportedly said that she had all of these drinks in the last few hours.

Troopers said that Gonzalez failed her field sobriety test. She was arrested and charged with DUI. A breathalyzer test revealed a BAC of 0.18 and 0.19. Gonzalezz was booked into the Lee County Jail.

The children — two 16-year-olds, one 15-year-old, two 14-year-olds and one 13-year-old — had their parents and DCF contacted.

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