The woman has had her license suspended multiple times for DUI offense, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY – A wrong-way driver, who caused a traffic crash, had a toddler in the car, Hillsborough sheriff’s deputies said.

Crystal Lynn Palacios, 31, of 804 Ninth Ave. #204 in Ruskin, was charged with DUI (3rd violation within 10 years), driving while license suspended or revoked (2nd offense) and refusal to submit to any DUI test with previous refusal. Deputies said other charges are pending.

Deputies said they first noticed Palacios about 8:18 p.m. Monday (June 6). Two deputies were in an unmarked Ford F-250 pickup belonging to the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office on the inside lane of 50th Street S near Habersham Lane when they saw a small sedan approaching them driving southbound in the northbound inside lane of 50th Street S. Deputies said they swerved to avoid colliding with the sedan. As a result, the passenger rear corner of the HCSO pickup struck a small blue pickup that was traveling in the outside northbound lane of 50th.

Deputies stopped to check on the driver of the pickup truck and after making sure the driver was not injured, they made a U-turn and caught up to the sedan as it was approaching the intersection of 50th and Causeway Boulevard. They stopped the sedan and noticed the driver, Palacios, was showing several signs of impairment. Deputies said they also saw a small toddler in the car. An officer from the department’s child protective investigations division took custody of the baby, deputies said.

Palacios was subsequently arrested for DUI. Palacios has multiple suspensions to her Florida driver’s license for prior DUI offenses, as well as several non-extraditable warrants from other jurisdictions, deputies said. Additional charges are pending.

Deputies went to the location where the sheriff’s truck hit the blue truck and said the driver had left the scene.

For information about the Hillsborough sheriff, go to hcso.tampa.fl.us.

Hillsborough Sheriff |Wrong-Way Driver | Drunk Driver | Baby in Car | TB Reporter

#HillsboroughSheriff  #WrongWayDriver #DrunkDriver #BabyinCar #TBReporter