A Miami Gardens police sergeant found herself on the wrong side of the law after being nabbed for DUI and reckless driving early Thursday morning. Sgt. Andrea Smith, 38, was clocked by her own department's officers doing high speeds and rolling through a couple of red lights around 1:50 a.m., as reported by Local 10.
It all went down when a patrol officer spotted the white Mercedes-Benz behaving erratically and accelerating through a red light at the intersection of NW Second Avenue and NW 191st Street, and again at NW 199th Street. In the process, the officer drew their weapon in anticipation of confronting a potentially dangerous situation, "due to the erratic driving and behavior of the unknown operator my weapon was drawn upon approaching the vehicle," according to an arrest affidavit cited by CBS News Miami.
Upon being halted, Smith exhibited classic signs of intoxication that included bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech. The arresting officer's suspicions were seemingly confirmed by the strong whiff of alcohol on her breath. Despite requests from the officer, Smith declined to undergo a field sobriety test or to provide a breath sample, sealing her fate with the charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving. She now faces the music behind bars with a bond set at $1,150.
Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt didn't mince words about her expectations for officers in her force, saying, "My officers are held to the highest standard both on and off duty. I can assure you that the actions of this individual is not the reflection of the agency. The sergeant will be relieved of duty and afforded due process accordingly," in a statement obtained by Local 10.
