A Palmetto woman is facing many charges after officers discovered her sitting beside her damaged car near a local golf course, surrounded by dozens of empty and open tiny alcohol bottles.
On May 14, 2026, at 6:54 p.m., the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a single-vehicle crash near the Streamsong Golf Resort in Bowling Green. Upon arrival, a deputy noticed a red 2018 Hyundai parked on a sidewalk with a woman sitting next to it.
The woman was identified as Erika Mayer, 34, of Palmetto. While Mayer was unharmed, responding deputies observed that she was incoherent, lacked balance, and spoke in slurred words. A witness at the site claimed seeing Mayer drive her vehicle across one of the resort’s golf courses before law officials arrived.
Mayer said she had not consumed any alcohol, but officers detected an odor of alcohol on her breath. A later search of her vehicle turned up an unopened 10-pack of 50-milliliter Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey bottles, 21 open 50-milliliter Fireball bottles, and two empty 50-milliliter 99 Brand liqueurs.
Mayer refused to do standardized field sobriety tests or provide breath samples to assess her blood alcohol level. Investigators discovered that she claimed her rejection was due to suggestions from friends and social media platforms.
Following the inquiry, Mayer was arrested and taken to jail. She was charged with Driving Under the Influence (second-degree misdemeanor), DUI with Property Damage (first-degree misdemeanor), and Refusing to Take a DUI Test (second-degree misdemeanor). Law enforcement also issued fines for failure to drive in a single lane and having an open container in a vehicle.
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