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Winter Haven mom accused of driving drunk with unrestrained kids in car

Shawana Jones is charged with DUI and five counts of negligent child abuse.
Twenty-eight year-old Shawana Jones was booked into the Polk County Jail on Driving Under the Influence and five counts of Negligent Child Abuse.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- A Winter Haven mother is accused of driving drunk when she got into an accident on Sunday, and police say four children in the car with her were unrestrained.

The wreck happened a little after 6 p.m. at the intersection of 6th Street Northwest and Avenue L Northwest in Winter Haven.

Shawana Jones, 28, told police traffic suddenly stopped. She said she couldn’t stop in time and was involved in an accident.

When officers were interviewing her, they say they noticed the smell of alcohol on her. They did a breathalyzer test on her and say she blew a .177, which is more than twice the legal limit.

They also noticed that four of the five children in the car were unrestrained. Jones told them that she’s working with a local shelter to get child restraints for the kids, but had only gotten one.

All five kids were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Jones wasn’t hurt.

Jones was arrested and charged with DUI and five counts of negligent child abuse.

When the kids were released from the hospital, they were turned over to the Department of Children and Families since no legal guardian could be found at the time.

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