Florida DUI Case With ‘No Driver’ Is Reopened

Case of drunk driving in Manatee County reopened after new witnesses come forward.

Last weekend, the finance director for the Manatee County sheriff’s department was involved in a single car accident. Emily Vernon was clearly intoxicated yet not charged with driving under the influence in Florida because no witness could place her behind the wheel of the vehicle at the time of the accident. Investigators have decided to reopen the case after two new witnesses described details of the scene.

The couple was stopped at an intersection when they saw Vernon’s truck strike a metal road sign and nearly hit them. In the vehicle headlights they witnessed Vernon exit her vehicle and examine the front tires and grill. They then saw two motorists who had been chasing Vernon drive up, and thinking all was under control, left the scene.

Vernon admitted to having consumed alcohol prior to the crash though police did not levy drunk driving charges because there was no ‘wheel witness’ to say that she was actually in physical control of the truck at the time of the accident.

Even with the new witnesses, Manatee County drunk driving defense attorneys say the case will be difficult to prove in a court of law. Filing DUI charges days after an event is unheard of and the law stipulates that a DUI has to occur in an officer’s presence. Evidence was not collected or preserved and no field sobriety tests were conducted. Vernon is also protected by the Florida Accident Report Privilege which states that any information provided by a motorist is immune from penalty until the officer officially declares a DUI criminal investigation.

Vernon, 39, has declined to comment on the case.

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