"Toddler Jane" LUDLOW - 2 yo - St Petersburg FL

Police have charged a woman with DUI and child abuse for having empty bottles of alcohol and her toddler in the vehicle when she crashed into two other cars Thursday afternoon.



Colleen Ludlow, 22, was found in the front seat of her car holding her 2-year-old daughter after a three-car accident at 22nd Avenue South and 42nd Street South. Officers say she told them that her daughter had been in her car seat at the time of the crash, which they found in the car along with an empty bottle of vodka and two empty beer bottles. Police say Ludlow showed signs of intoxication and was taken into custody, refusing a breath test. Officers learned that she had previously been arrested three times for DUI and her license was currently suspended. Ludlow was heading west on 22nd Avenue when investigators say she lost control of her car, hit a Nissan that was stopped at the intersection, and then veered into the path of a Honda heading in the opposite direction. The driver of the Honda was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with spinal injuries; the two people in the Nissan were treated and later released, according to police. Ludlow and her daughter were not hurt in the crash. Ludlow is facing several charges related to the crash and was also cited for careless driving and seatbelt violation. Her daughter is being cared for by the girl's grandmother.