Florida Teenager cited for DUI

Minor was an Adult Relative’s designated driver

A 15-year-old was charged with drunken driving but was behind the wheel because his adult relative, 47-year-old Christopher Stone, was too drunk to drive.

Pensacola, Florida (PNJ) – A 15-year-old, who had no driver’s license, was arrested last week on Friday night and charged with driving under influence of alcohol.

The police pulled over the vehicle the teen was driving on U.S. 90 in East Milton at approximately 7 p.m., after receiving several complaints from various motorists about an erratic and belligerent driver on the road.

According to an arrest affidavit report by the Santa Rosa County sheriff’s investigators, the teenager had been a designated driver for an adult relative, Christopher Patrick Stone, and was only behind the wheel because his adult passenger was too drunk to drive the 1996 red Chevy GMC truck.

The teen was heavily intoxicated and argumentative with the deputies, using profanity, including the F-bomb, the report stated.

Stone told deputies that the teen only had a few beers. Bruce Emond, a passenger in the car’s back seat, told investigators that the three had gone swimming near Deaton Bridge. He said they all had a few beers at his house and saw the teen “sip off of a beer” while they were in the water.

At one point, Emond told deputies, Stone and the teen switched spots in the car, with the teen riding behind the wheel. When Emond asked, he was told to “shut … up and ride with it,” the arrest report says.

A blood-alcohol test later showed that the teenager had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) level of .18 percent which is 9 times the limit for driver’s under 21 years of age, and more than twice the limit for an adult, according to deputies. A driver under 21 is considered drunk at .02 percent blood alcohol and over, while the legal standard limit for adult drivers is .08 percent.

The teen refused to answer questions while at Santa Rosa County Jail, the report says. The 15-year-old was then arrested for Driving under the Influence and Driving without a License, and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail. He was released to his guardian, deputies said.

Stone, who was wearing only his underwear, was too intoxicated to remember the teen’s birthday. A deputy then asked if his driver’s license could be in a pair of jeans in the back of the truck. The offense report stated that apparently Stone was so drunk that he couldn’t find his pants, which were directly in front of him in the bed of the pickup. Upon being interrogated about his driver’s license, Stone told deputies it was inside his wallet in the truck, however, it was not found there, according to the offense report.

Christopher Stone was arrested for Allowing an Unauthorized Minor to Drive, and Felony Cruelty Towards a Child.

The Family Stone ended up behind bars. He was released from jail after posting a $3,000 bond.