Video shows mother’s DUI arrest

Woman threatened officers, kicked back seat of police car

Police dashcam video shows a 31-year-old Boynton Beach driver who is accused of drunken driving weaving down the road and then weaving unsteadily on her feet and failing a roadside sobriety test.

However, what the video obtained by Sun Sentinel news partner WPEC-CBS12 doesn’t show is that as Brandy N. Lerma was at the wheel of a gold Chevrolet Malibu and narrowly dodging disaster, her 3-year-old child was standing unbelted in the back seat of the car, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s deputies.

“A couple of Fireballs,” Lerma tells a deputy when he asks her what she has had to drink.

The Aug. 12 incident began when Juan Martinez, a tow truck driver, noticed a Malibu zigzagging in and out of traffic lanes near the intersection of Haverhill and Belvedere roads, according to an arrest report. He called 911.

The driver “nearly hit four cars from the back end. No brakes ever,” Martinez, 51, told police. “I was afraid she was going to kill someone.”

“It was obvious the defendant was extremely impaired,” said deputies in the report. Investigators also noticed a strong odor of alcohol, and determined Lerma was unable to stand without assistance.

A breath test for alcohol indicated Lerma was three times over the legal limit, the report said. Deputies said they saw no child car seats in Lerma’s car. Once Lerma was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a deputy’s patrol car, the video shows her screaming, telling the deputy, “I would kill you.” As she kicked at the back of the driver’s seat, Lerma demanded to know, “Who is picking up my child?”

Lerma was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on charges of DUI and child abuse. She has since been released on bond.

The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating and Lerma’s children are in state care, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Lerma did not respond Monday to efforts to reach her by phone.