JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local family is left picking up the pieces of their Westside home after investigators said a drunk driver drove a car through part of their house over the weekend.
Last Saturday, Mikki Edwards was pet sitting at her friend Stephanie Doty’s house when she says a car plowed through the kitchen and laundry room of the house.
“We had just gone to bed and laid down. I was just dozing off when I heard what sounded like a shotgun and then not even a second later, like a bomb went off and the whole house shook,” said Edwards.
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Stephanie Doty is the owner of the home. She was in New Orleans with some friends to take her mind off the one-year anniversary of her husband Wes’s passing. Now, she’s forced to grapple with two losses.
“He came through up my driveway, almost hit my car, went straight into my kitchen, this wall through the other wall and ran into the tree on the other side,” said Doty.
Aside from the kitchen and laundry rooms being destroyed, the outdoor patio is also a thing of the past, including Stephanie and Wes’ favorite rocking chairs, which are now unrecognizable.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested 28-year-old Justin Faulkner for the crash. According to the arrest report, when JSO asked Faulkner how much he had to drink, he stated he was “unsure but did not think he drank any.”
Faulkner was charged with DUI Property Damage and Personal Injury. Court records show he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months probation. His driver’s license has also been revoked for 6 months,.
Stephanie told Action News Jax that she is grateful no one was hurt, but she is at her wits’ end.
“What else can I handle? Not much,” Stephanie said.
Stephanie says she is legally blind and not able to work. You can visit her GoFundMe here.
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