Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alexandra Hayes Henry, 42, was arrested Thursday night after authorities said she was driving under the influence with two children under 10 years old in her vehicle.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was dispatched at about 8:50 p.m. on August 7 after a caller reported seeing Henry stumble out of a bar and drive away with two children in the vehicle, despite being told she was not in a condition to drive. The caller reportedly followed Henry and continued giving updates about what was described as a “concerning driving pattern.”
A deputy later spotted Henry’s vehicle near the 8300 block of NW 23rd Avenue and began following it to observe the driving. In the arrest report, the deputy wrote that the vehicle moved back and forth between the left and right lane markers several times and was “often randomly slowing down or applying the brakes an unreasonably far distance from the red traffic light.”
After reportedly seeing the vehicle cross a solid yellow line, the deputy initiated a traffic stop in the 4600 block of NW 23rd Avenue.
During the stop, the deputy said Henry repeatedly gave her home address when asked for her insurance and registration. The deputy also reported smelling a strong odor of alcoholic beverages while standing near her.
Henry initially declined to take part in field sobriety exercises, reportedly saying she had a right to speak with her husband. She later allowed the deputy to check her eyes, but the deputy reported that she failed to follow instructions multiple times and performed poorly on the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test.
Following that test, the deputy told Henry he believed she was under the influence of alcohol and asked whether she wanted to continue with the exercises. Henry reportedly refused to perform any additional exercises.
The deputy arrested Henry, and she reportedly called her husband, who drove to the scene; the deputy reported that her husband asked her how many drinks she’d had, but the deputy could not hear her answer.
Henry allegedly refused consent to perform a breath test, once at the scene and once at the jail.
Henry has been charged with driving under the influence with a person under the age of 18 in the vehicle, refusing a breath test, and child neglect. She has no local criminal history, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered her released on her own recognizance.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
