PLANT CITY, FL \u2014 A 26-year-old father was arrested Friday evening after deputies found him passed out in the driver\u2019s seat of his truck at a Plant City gas station with his 5-year-old child in the backseat, the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office said in a news release.<\/p>\n
When deputies responded to the Shell gas station at 1665 Branch Forbes Road around 8 p.m., they found Patrick Voegtly of Wimauma passed out in the truck while parked beside a gas pump, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n
His child told the deputies, \u201cHe\u2019s just sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputies also saw a handgun in plain view inside the vehicle and a second in his pocket, HCSO said.<\/p>\n
During the investigation, deputies noted indications of impairment, including glassy eyes and slurred speech.<\/p>\n
Voegtly refused to perform field sobriety exercises, though he did provide a breath sample, which was more than twice the legal BAC limit of .08, according to the agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis reckless decision could have ended in tragedy,\u201d Sheriff Chad Chronister said. \u201cDriving under the influence is dangerous enough, but doing so with a child in the vehicle while armed shows a complete disregard for the safety of others. Thankfully, deputies intervened before anyone was seriously hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Voegtly was arrested on charges that include driving under the influence (over 0.15), child neglect, and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon or firearm.<\/p>\n
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