Deputy accused of drunk driving also left her toddler home alone, Tennessee cops say

A traffic stop involving a suspected drunk driver became even more troubling when it was learned the motorist was a deputy and had left a toddler home alone, according to investigators in Tennessee.

The deputy ended up fired and in jail, and the child was handed over to a family member, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The unusual arrest happened around 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, in the Chattanooga area, when a car was seen stopped in traffic for no apparent reason. Chattanooga is about a 135-mile drive southeast from Nashville.

“The operator of the vehicle abruptly began to travel northbound ... displaying inconsistent driving patterns and failing to maintain their lane,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“During the course of the traffic stop, the driver ... demonstrated signs of being impaired and admitted to consuming alcohol. Based on her admission and the fact she failed a field sobriety test, deputies took her into custody.”

It was then deputies learned the driver was a corrections deputy with the sheriff’s office, and she “had left her 15-month-old child home alone,” officials said.

Deputies were sent to the woman’s home and they found the child “safe, but unattended,” officials said.

The woman was charged with child neglect, driving under the influence, having an open container of alcohol and failure to maintain lane, officials said.

McClatchy News is not naming the woman to protect the identity of her child.

She had been a corrections deputy less than six months and was still on probation, officials said.

“The fact that she chose to drive under the influence endangering others on our roadways and ... left her young child at home alone while doing so, demonstrates a severe lack of judgment and therefore I have terminated her employment,” Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett said in the release.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Deputy accused of drunk driving also left her toddler home alone, Tennessee cops say."