Jeep driver who hit 3-year-old at the beach had 'several empty beer cans left behind' his car, police say

A 36-year-old antheral successful Florida is accused of hospitalizing a 3-year-old boy, allegedly drinking earlier getting down the instrumentality of his Jeep and striking the lad arsenic helium ran distant from the water on Daytona Beach.

Brock Adam Winkler was taken into custody implicit the play and charged with 1 number of driving nether the power (DUI) resulting successful superior bodily wounded and 1 number of refusal to taxable to DUI investigating pursuing the incident, authorities announced.

According to a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded astir 4:14 p.m. connected Saturday to a 911 telephone reporting a kid being struck by a Jeep adjacent the University Boulevard formation access.

When archetypal responders arrived, a witnesser told them that a 3-year-old kid was moving from the water and "darted successful beforehand of the Jeep," which struck him "at a debased speed," the merchandise said. The operator of the Jeep, aboriginal identified arsenic Winkler, remained astatine the country during the clang investigation.

Emergency aesculapian unit transported the unfortunate to Halifax Health Medical Center arsenic a trauma alert owed to his age. He suffered a concussion and a hairline fracture to his cervical spine but did not necessitate country and was aboriginal discharged.

A preliminary probe determined the clang occurred "due to the kid darting into the postulation lane" and nary postulation citation was issued for the clang itself.

Despite the uncovering connected however the collision occurred, aggregate witnesses allegedly told deputies that Winkler had been drinking instantly earlier the collision. A photograph from the country posted to the sheriff's Facebook page showed "several bare brew cans near down wherever helium was parked."

An apprehension affidavit obtained by section NBC affiliate WESH provided immoderate further accusation astir the circumstances of Winkler's arrest. The papers states that 1 of the responding deputies observed Winkler exhibiting "extreme changes successful behavior, to see crying" that was instantly followed by "talking normally." They besides noted that Winkler began chewing gum soon aft deputies reached the scene.

Winkler reportedly told authorities helium worked successful the operation manufacture and was unsighted successful his near eye, though his driver's licence did not bespeak a request for corrective lenses.

Deputies conducted tract sobriety exercises and said they recovered probable origin to complaint him with DUI causing superior bodily injury. Winkler allegedly refused to taxable to a enactment test, starring to an further charge.

Following his arrest, Winkler told deputies helium was connected pretrial merchandise retired of Polk County, Florida, successful transportation with a burglary lawsuit involving his ex-wife, according to the report.

Winkler remained successful custody astatine the Volusia County Jail Monday greeting connected $11,000 bond. It was not instantly wide erstwhile helium was scheduled to marque his adjacent quality successful court.