Nurse Arrested For DUI, Sober But Exhausted After 12 hr COVID Shift

[Julie]

Quote

“It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. it was like a part of me was missing,” Slayton said.  

Single mom and nurse Katie Slayton was arrested for driving under the influence as well as felony child neglect because her son was in the car. Her son went to foster care for 9 weeks.  This happened after she worked a grueling 12 hour shift in the COVID-19 ward.

Nurse arrested for DUI, son put in foster care after sober single mom works a long grueling shift helping COVID patients

What kinds of personal sacrifices have you had to endure for your job?

[katies]

And I will NEVER take a field test again... In medicine if someone came in and said I have cough and chest pain and the doctor decided to diagnosis them with Pneumonia... and it turned out they had a PE... that would be actionable... not with the police... it's called qualified immunity... they don't have to do due diligence... basically as long as it wasn't malicious they're protected. 

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

After viewing the clip I would have to say that I would have come to the same conclusion as the officer. What I don't understand is if the officer thought she was drunk why not administer a breathalyzerIt's inconscionable that her child was detained in the system for so long. 

I don't know about other countries but in the US you have the right to demand a blood alcohol test immediately and if it can't be performed in the field the officer must take the suspect to an ER to obtain a stat blood test. 

In most cases the child would be turned over to a family member to be cared for until the the matter was cleared up. 

Hppy

 

[Cathyhil]

I’m shocked at how many people on a nursing forum are ignorant about Adderall. As a stimulant it is highly unlikely to make one drowsy or impaired. Adderall is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, two central nervous stimulants that improve focus and reduce impulsivity by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain. I have ADHD and have taken it for years. 

I’m also shocked that it took 6 months to get a blood alcohol result. I can get one in no time from the hospital lab. Something fishy is going on in that PD and I hope she’s able to sue the PD and the daycare for damages and distress. Had she even started driving. From what I read, popo was there before she had a chance to start driving. 

[RnSleepy]

This is complete BS and the Police should be ashamed of themselves. They should lose their jobs for being incompetent fools! Doing the hokey pokey after being on your feet for probably 14hrs is practically impossible and has no correlation to driving. The trauma they put this child and mother through are repulsive. Hopefully she sues the department and the officers personally! 

[MaxAttack, BSN, RN]

On 7/11/2022 at 11:11 PM, RnSleepy said:

This is complete BS and the Police should be ashamed of themselves. They should lose their jobs for being incompetent fools! Doing the hokey pokey after being on your feet for probably 14hrs is practically impossible and has no correlation to driving. The trauma they put this child and mother through are repulsive. Hopefully she sues the department and the officers personally! 

Watch the video and read the police report. If they had let her go and she had crashed the car would you then blame the police for putting an unsafe driver back on the road? Would the mom have blamed the officers for letting her go if she had crashed and killed her child?

I just got off my fourth night shift in a row and did the one leg stand and walk and turn just now without a problem. ?‍♂️

If someone is so drowsy that they're failing field sobriety tests they honestly shouldn't be driving. Uber and Lyft are options. 

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that every year about 100,000 police-reported, drowsy-driving crashes result in nearly 800 fatalities and about 50,000 injuries"

It should've gone down differently but it also could have ended much worse.

[HiddenAngels]

Yea same I’m not one to judge. Everyone is different, 3 12s wipes me out tho, so I go rest I’m the lounge or go hang out in the caf before I drive home

Just now, HiddenAngels said:

Yea same I’m not one to judge. Everyone is different, 3 12s wipes me out tho, so I go rest I’m the lounge or go hang out in the caf before I drive home

I also may rest in my car. That’s usually a big help.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

On 6/29/2022 at 9:11 AM, Julie said:

Single mom and nurse Katie Slayton was arrested for driving under the influence as well as felony child neglect because her son was in the car. Her son went to foster care for 9 weeks.  This happened after she worked a grueling 12 hour shift in the COVID-19 ward.

Nurse arrested for DUI, son put in foster care after sober single mom works a long grueling shift helping COVID patients

What kinds of personal sacrifices have you had to endure for your job?

Another thing to consider is that some states have a designation of DWI (Driving while Impaired). Another posters asked the question of who would be responsible if she had crashed killing herself, her child or other motorists. Would her family have sued the daycare for not calling the police, or the police for not detaining her. It becomes a very mucky situation. 

I do understand and empathize with her plight. Obviously she was picking up her child from daycare so the time frame was most likely time sensitive and not allowing her even a short cat nap before driving. This is when the trusted friend or family member comes into play.  I actually had a friend at work who picked up the man cub a couple of times when he was small. There was also my sister who would not only pick him up but feed him as well. 

Hppy  

[beachynurse, ASN, BSN]

HiddenAngels said:

ha ha ha, why because of nerves?  Me too probably

LOL, no... Since I had a hip replacement and back surgery, my balance is terrible. I have to do impairment assessments at work, and when I demonstrate the heel to toe, I have to hold on to the counter.. LOL.... And if they made me stand on one foot, I'd fall over.