Woman faces child neglect, DUI charges

DESTIN, Fla. (WALA) - Anyone who has been to Destin knows U.S. Highway 98, and the danger that can come with the roadway, especially on a busy summer day.

But that's the street Okaloosa County deputies said a 9-year-old walked along, alone.

"This was about 9:30 at night on the side of Highway 98, a major, very, very busy roadway, especially on a Friday night," said Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Michele Nicholson.

Deputies said 36-year-old Leanne Tosney Weeks, a Destin resident, faces charges from an incident which began at the Fuji Sushi Buffet parking lot.

After a fight with Weeks, deputies said a 9-year-old boy in her care left the restaurant on foot, trying to get home.

He wasn't picked up by deputies until he'd made it about a mile down 98.

"When deputies went to the restaurant to check on the status of the caretaker, they found this individual in the parking lot with a 5-year-old passenger in the back seat. She was apparently behind the wheel of a car and was getting ready to leave," Nicholson said.

But first, deputies performed a field sobriety test on Weeks and checked her blood alcohol level.  She was found to be approaching 0.24%, or three times the legal limit.

At least one deputy there had no reason to believe she was concerned with the child roaming the street.

"To his knowledge, she had not made an attempt to locate the 9-year-old, had not gone searching for the 9-year-old, and wasn't even aware at the time of his exact location," Nicholson said.

Weeks has been charged with DUI and child neglect.