A routine traffic enforcement patrol on Avenue G NW in Lakeland, Florida, escalated into a dangerous pursuit on Wednesday evening after a driver operated a vehicle directly into oncoming traffic with a 1-year-old child in the backseat, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Shortly before 6 p.m., a deputy conducting traffic enforcement observed a red Ford Edge traveling through the center turn lane directly into the path of oncoming vehicles. The sheriff’s office noted in an official release that the behavior was impossible to overlook.
The deputy activated his lights and sirens in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver accelerated and fled, initiating a pursuit through the surrounding neighborhood.
Early in the chase, an object was thrown from the vehicle’s window and landed on the roadway. Deputies subsequently recovered the item, which was identified as a pipe containing fentanyl.
The SUV eventually came to a stop, though the situation remained tense. As the deputy approached the driver’s side window, the engine revved and the driver attempted to accelerate again. The deputy intervened before the vehicle could move and successfully disabled it.
Once the vehicle was secured, 35-year-old Kelly Caroline Kent of Lakeland apologized for attempting to flee. At that moment, the deputy observed a 1-year-old child seated in the backseat of the vehicle.
Investigators determined that Kent appeared heavily intoxicated, exhibiting pinpoint pupils, slurred speech, and profuse sweating.
Deputies transferred the unharmed child to a relative and notified the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Kent was transported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Processing Center and faces an extensive list of felony and misdemeanor charges, including child neglect, fleeing to elude, DUI with a minor present, fentanyl possession, tampering with evidence, reckless driving, and refusal to submit to a chemical sobriety test.
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