Suspected drunk driver hits soldier’s vehicle before hitting 10k race participants

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated May 30, 2022

PALMETTO, Fla. (WWSB/Gray News) – A Florida woman is facing a felony charge after troopers say she drove drunk into a roadblock that prevented her from hitting attendees in a 10 km run.

WWSB reports Kristen Kay Watts, 52, of Sarasota, was charged with DUI with serious injury after the Florida Highway Patrol said she ignored a series of roadblocks in place for the race, which crosses the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, connecting St. Petersburg to Palmetto in Manatee County.

The accident report claims Watts ignored a detour and squeezed through a series of traffic cones and other barriers.

Kristen Kay Watts(Manatee County Sheriff’s Office)

The soldiers tried to stop Watts as she continued to walk towards the bridge where thousands of people were running. The report says she then walked past several Florida Fish and Wildlife officers guarding the closed toll plaza at the end of the Manatee County Bridge.

Two soldiers would park their vehicles in the northbound lanes to prevent Watts from heading towards the runners, and the FHP said she crashed her BMW into one of the patrol vehicles almost head-on.

A Sarasota woman has been charged with a serious injury DUI after FHP says she crashed into a... — A Sarasota woman has been charged with a serious injury DUI after FHP says she crashed into a soldier while walking toward the closed Skyway Bridge.(Courtesy of Florida Highway Patrol)

Watts and patrol vehicle soldier Toni Schuck were injured and taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries from the crash.

Watts was later released from the hospital and incarcerated in the Manatee County Jail.

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