A Brandon woman was charged with felony child neglect after deputies learned she had been driving drunk with her children in the car, authorities said.

Jennifer Ruth Carter, 27, was being held Tuesday at Falkenburg Road Jail, with bail set at $2,750, records showed. Carter also was charged with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence with property damage and driving with a suspended license.

According to affidavits, Carter was traveling south on South Parsons Avenue about 5:20 p.m. Monday in a blue 1996 Cadillac when she rear-ended a 2000 Lexus sport utility vehicle at Vonderburg Drive. Witnesses saw Carter get out of the Cadillac and throw a small bottle of vodka into nearby bushes, authorities said.

When a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy arrived, Carter was unsteady on her feet, the affidavits state. A breath-alcohol test registered 0.192 and 0.197, the affidavits say. A person is considered impaired under Florida law with a blood- or breath-alcohol level of 0.08.

The affidavits do not give the ages of Carter's children.

Online records show that Carter was sentenced to 10 days in jail for driving with a suspended, revoked or canceled license in 2007.

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