Inset: Kaylie Poe (Flagler County Sheriff”s Office). Background: A woman identified as Poe performs a field sobriety test in Palm Coast, Fla. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office).
In a recent incident in Florida, a woman found herself under arrest after a traffic stop led to a failed attempt to conceal prescription drugs within her body, as reported by state law enforcement.
Kaylie Poe, aged 27, faces charges including driving under the influence, refusal to undergo DUI testing, smuggling controlled substances, intent to distribute controlled substances, and evidence tampering, based on records from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
The event in question took place on November 29, as detailed in a probable cause statement accessed by Law&Crime. Suspicion arose almost immediately among authorities regarding Poe’s vehicle in Palm Coast, a small town situated about 60 miles southeast of Jacksonville.
According to the charging document, “Before initiating a traffic stop at the intersection of Palm Coast Parkway and Interstate 95, the vehicle ran a red light and came to a stop within the intersection. I then activated my emergency equipment and instructed the driver to move forward to a safer location for the stop.”
During the traffic stop, the deputy observed two passengers inside the vehicle, one being a 2-year-old child, according to officials.
The driver reportedly showed signs of impairment.
“I observed slurred speech, watery and bloodshot eyes, delayed reaction time, and difficulty with divided attention,” the deputy wrote. Poe was asked to exit the vehicle, which she did; however, she exhibited difficulty maintaining her balance upon standing.”
Then, the deputy asked the defendant to perform a series of field sobriety exercises, according to the probable cause statement.
Poe, for her part, agreed to the tests.
The results, however, did not inure to her benefit, the sheriff’s office says. For one exercise, the defendant showed five out of eight signs of impairment. For another exercise, she showed three out of four such signs. In a separate test – more diagnostic than exercise – authorities allege Poe showed six out of six “clues” indicating so-called “horizontal gaze nystagmus,” where a person’s eyes involuntarily move and which can be a symptom of drug or alcohol use.
Eventually, Poe was handcuffed and arrested for DUI.
At the jail, the defendant agreed to two breathalyzer tests – each of which came back with no indication of alcohol use, according to the probable cause statement. When authorities asked her to submit to a urine test, however, the defendant refused, the charging document alleges.
The situation grew a bit more dire for the defendant during intake.
“When instructed to remove her socks, Poe removed them and seven and a half yellow rectangular pills fell from her sock,” the probable cause statement continues. “Upon inspection, the pills were identified as Xanax.”
Then, even more pills turned up, authorities say.
“A subsequent full search yielded additional Xanax pills concealed in Poe’s v—, wrapped in clear plastic,” the deputy wrote in the charging document. “Upon reviewing my agency-issued rear prisoner compartment video, I observed Poe remove an item from the padding of her undergarment and place it into her genital area.”
Poe was detained in the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on a combined $9,000 bond – which she posted the next day. The defendant is slated to appear in court on Dec. 23, court records show.
“First, this woman did something incredibly dangerous and stupid by driving under the influence of drugs with a young toddler in the car,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly summarized in a press release.”Then, on her way to the jail, she thought she would not get caught with Xanax trying to hide it in body cavities, but she got caught and now faces additional felony charges.”
