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Dashcam footage shows mom swerving in-and-out of lanes with toddler in car after 911 call prompts search

Breathalyzer test revealed she was nearly 3 times legal limit to drive, authorities say

YULEE, Fla. – A Fernandina Beach mom accused of drinking while driving with her toddler in the car is facing multiple felony charges.

Jamilyn Kunkle, 38, was charged with DUI, child abuse, introducing drugs into a jail, possession of more than three grams of synthetic marijuana, and illegal possession of narcotics.

According to the arrest report, 911 dispatch received a phone call about a small child in the rear seat of a vehicle being driven by an intoxicated driver.

The 911 call, obtained by News4JAX, revealed the caller was the child’s father. He was heard telling the dispatcher that Kunkle “left with my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter in a vehicle, and she’s drunk.”

The child’s father also gave the dispatcher her vehicle’s description and plate number and told them that she was headed to Amelia Island.

He also said Kunkle showed up drunk at an undisclosed location, didn’t stay long and left with the child.

News4JAX also obtained dashcam video that was recorded when a Nassau County Sheriff’s Office deputy got behind her Jeep as she was driving on State Road 200. It appeared the Jeep was swerving in out of the left lane, almost side-swiped a truck and nearly clipped the front of an SUV before moving into the right lane.

The video showed the deputy walking up to the driver’s side and then asking Kunkle to get out of the Jeep. She complied and the video showed her being walked to the back of the Jeep where she was questioned by the deputy.

Moments later, Kunkle was escorted out of the view of the camera and another deputy was seen getting into her Jeep and moving the vehicle into what appeared to be a parking lot. Seconds after the Jeep is moved to a safer location from the roadway, the toddler could be heard crying in the background.

The arresting deputy noted in his report that Kunkle’s breath strongly smelled of alcohol and that her speech was slurred. The deputy also noted that Kunkle’s eyes appeared glassy and that she was having trouble standing.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper arrived on the scene and initiated a field sobriety test on Kunkle, which she failed, the report stated.

Kunkle was arrested, and a relative picked up the child.

The arresting deputy also noted in the report that Kunkle left an ice tumbler and alcohol in a cup holder that was within the reach of the toddler in the back seat of the Jeep.

According to the report, when Kunkle was inside the jail, she underwent a breathalyzer test that revealed she was nearly three times the legal limit to drive. Also, while inside the jail, she was reportedly in possession of marijuana gummies and Adderall, which led to drug charges because those items are considered contraband inside a jail facility.

Kunkle bonded out of jail.


About the Author
Erik Avanier headshot

Award-winning broadcast and multimedia journalist with 20 years experience.

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