Overworked nurse loses custody of her child for nine weeks after being falsely accused of DUI
A Tennessee woman lost custody of her child after being charged with DUI and felony child neglect. But blood samples later proved that she she was sober at the time.
After working 41 hours in three days as a nurse caring for COVID-19 patients, Katie Slayton was enjoying a day off when she was pulled over after a daycare worker told Nashville police that Slayton seemed “off,” WSMV reports.
When she was pulled over, Slayton was unaware that the daycare worker told police that she was “circling here, scratching her head, talking to herself.”
"It never occurred to me that anyone thought I was impaired,” Slayton told WSMV.
Bodycam footage shows Slayton agreeing to a sobriety test. One officer can be heard remarking that he didn't smell any alcohol on her.
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In the police report, Slayton admitted that she takes Prozac and Adderall for ADHD, and when she took the field sobriety test, she failed to stand firmly on one foot and appeared to wobble when walking with one foot in front of the other -- all while her son played on the sidewalk, prompting an officer to carry him back to the daycare center.
“I think - basically - it’s either fight or flight. It’s my maternal instincts. They were going off,” Slayton said. “I just realized they’re taking control of my son, and at that point, I started shaking.”
Slayton was arrested for DUI. Her son would ultimately remain in state custody for nine weeks while she awaited her results for blood alcohol levels, which showed her not to be intoxicated.
Another test showing what else was in her body then would take six months, but when it finally became available, it showed, once again, that she was not impaired and all charges were dropped.
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“She did test positive for her prescribed medication. But they were very much within therapeutic levels,” said Ben Powers, Slayton’s attorney.
Watch WSMV report below or at this link.
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