On Easter Sunday, Orange County, Florida, sheriff’s deputies arrested the wife of first-term U.S. Congressman Darren Soto on a charge of disorderly intoxication outside of Walt Disney World. Soto, 40, a Democrat who previously served in the Florida legislature for about 10 years, represents the state’s Ninth congressional district in the Orlando area.
The charge against Amanda Soto, 33, is a second-degree misdemeanor, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Mrs. Soto bonded out of the Orange County jail the following morning. If convicted in a court of law on that charge, which involves causing a public disturbance, a defendant could be sentenced to up to 60 days behind bars under Florida Statute 856.011.
According to Spectrum News 13 in Orlando, Amanda Soto allegedly got into a physical tussle with her mother near the Disney Springs Westside bus stop on Sunday night, and both of them allegedly appeared to be intoxicated, a sheriff’s department arrest affidavit indicated.
“After the deputy helped the pair call an Uber, Soto screamed profanities at the Uber driver, who refused to drive them. The screaming and crying escalated, and Soto was placed in the back of a patrol car ‘for her safety,’ where she banged her head on the window, the deputy reported.”
Cops then had to further restrain Soto for safety reasons. The woman also allegedly played something along the lines of the “do you know who I am” card, or the equivalent, because she repeatedly told officers who were apparently trying to calm her down that since her husband is a member of Congress, “she can do whatever she wants,” the Sentinel added.
The wife of Rep. Darren Soto was arrested on disorderly intoxication charges Sunday night. Details: https://t.co/UDFtVwHwSR pic.twitter.com/8nfEeaTHW6
— Spectrum News 13 (@MyNews13) April 2, 2018
Yesterday morning, U.S. Rep Darren Soto released a statement about the incident, Fox35 in the Orlando area reported. He explained that his wife has been battling depression for years and that she is off her meds under a doctor’s supervision.
He also acknowledged that his wife drank too much on Easter Sunday and began arguing with a family member, which resulted in her being taken into custody. Amanda Soto “deeply regrets” what happened, he continued, and takes full responsibility for the incident. She and her doctor are also “reviewing her mental health treatment,” the statement added.
Rep. Darren Soto’s office statement on his wife’s arrest pic.twitter.com/Z1batooAHM
— Steven Lemongello (@SteveLemongello) April 2, 2018
Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at Walt Disney World.
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto is up for reelection , as are all 435 House seats, on November 6.
Proud to announce endorsement of Congressional Progressive Caucus for our 2018 Re-Election Campaign!!! @DHCFLA @FlaDems @OrangeDemsFL @Osceola_DEC @polkdec #sayfie #FDP pic.twitter.com/HzsaNEdpun
— Darren Soto (@DarrenSoto) March 8, 2018
As the Amanda Soto arrest at Disney is a developing story, please check back for updates.
