Crime Woman with brain disorder arrested and locked up because police thought she was drunk

[The Helper]

A woman who suffers from a disease which causes balance problems was thrown into a cell - because police mistakenly thought she was drunk.

Lorraine Parkin, 37, who is teetotal, was driving away from a supermarket when an officer ordered her to stop her car.

Mrs Parkin was asked whether she had been drinking. The woman officer asked her to step out of her car and confiscated her keys.

Mother- of- three Mrs Parkin explained that she suffered from Huntington's disease, showed her medication and offered to take a breath test.

Woman with brain disorder locked up because police thought she was drunk

A mother who suffers from a serious brain illness was wrongly arrested and put in cells by police - because they assumed she was drunk.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[UnknowVector]

Shes from Manchester, so this in Europe right?

Hopefully she takes this to court, she should have been released instantly and the local police should be reprimanded for not having adequate equipment.

 

[esb]

Awesome... she passed down the hereditary Huntington's disease down to three more people.

Joke aside, the police weren't prepared, but at least they didn't beat her to death or tase her.

 

[ShadowTek]

One of things that cops test for it if the side-to-side movement of your eyes is jumpy, which can be a sign of intoxication. But, my eyes do that a lot, especially at night, due to an eye condition I have.

I hope that they have a breathalyser on hand if I get into a similar situation. DUI penalties are pretty steep here nowadays.

 

[Effane]

Someone has to ask this...

Did they pull her over for failure to control her vehicle? If so then maybe a disease which affects her balance and muscle control would be a good reason to stop driving. I know my mother who is now deceased stopped driving when she couldn't control the vehicle, and she LOVED driving. Police aren't always the bad guys, even if they can't find equipment and sound a bit like Keystone Cops.

 

[ShadowTek]

Someone has to ask this...

Did they pull her over for failure to control her vehicle? If so then maybe a disease which affects her balance and muscle control would be a good reason to stop driving. I know my mother who is now deceased stopped driving when she couldn't control the vehicle, and she LOVED driving. Police aren't always the bad guys, even if they can't find equipment and sound a bit like Keystone Cops.

Of course, but be honest (not you, them) and call it what it is. Having a DUI on your record is uncalled for if you're not really drunk. If the laws are lax then change them, and let this be a public talking point for the matter.

For instance, many states have different requirements for a person's peripheral vision. In one state, I think it was Utah, if your peripheral field drops below 160 degrees (a normal person is 180 degrees) then you lose your license. But, here in Tennessee, the legal limit is 20 degrees.

That's right folks, here in Big Orange Country, you can drive your car right up till the day that you are declared legally blind.

The laws are clearly what need to be changed in this instance.

It seems a little misdirected to punish people for something that is perfectly legal to do where they live.