POLK COUNTY, Fla. --An emergency room nurse for Lakeland Regional Health was arrested for driving under the influence and negligent child abuse without bodily harm on Wednesday evening in Mulberry, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
- Michelle Snover accused of driving drunk into pond
- 8-year-old girl was inside vehicle; able to escape
- Snover charged with child endangerment, cited for DUI
Deputies said Michelle Snover, 33, of Lakeland, was so drunk she drove an SUV into a retention pond. They said she had an eight-year-girl in the SUV with her.
“Michelle knows better," said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd. "She works in an emergency room and she sees the aftermath of horrible crashes and tragedies. This is at least the second time she’s been arrested for DUI.”
The eight year old was able to get out of the SUV and swim to the road, according to Judd. She then went to a neighbor’s home and asked for help.
"This girl is drunk, like, so bad."
The neighbors called 911 and were on the phone with dispatchers as Snover was trying to get out of the water.
“Oh my god, she’s falling into the water," the caller told the dispatcher. "Michelle, walk to my husband! Get the little girl out of the water."
The caller later described Snover’s condition to the dispatcher.
“This girl is drunk, like, so bad,” the caller said.
Judd said this situation could have been much worse
“The good news is that the eight-year-old that was with her didn’t drown," he said. "It certainly could have been a tragedy of monumental proportions instead of a tough wake up call that she received last night."
Investigators said her blood alcohol content level was a .13.
“This is a lady we trust," Judd continued. "This is a lady that saves lives and she needs to save her own life, because next time it could be fatal. Next time she could be needing the services of her colleagues. I admire the work that she does, but she’s got to get help."
Previous DUI arrest
Snover admitted to drinking three to four vodka fruit punch drinks, according to her arrest report.
According to Polk County Court records, her previous arrest for DUI came on Sept. 10, 2016.
For that offense she was sentenced on Dec. 14, 2017 to nine months of probation for reckless driving-reduced from a DUI.
One of her court documents states she was also sentenced to 50 hours of alternative community service, but due to her work schedule, working six to seven days a week, she was allowed to just complete 25 hours plus pay an additional fee of $250 to cover the rest of her hours.
She was released from probation supervision early on May 22, 2018.