0
4
The wife of U.S. Rep. Darren Soto was arrested at Disney Springs on Sunday on a charge of disorderly intoxication.
Amanda Soto, 33, of Celebration, was with her mother at the West Side bus loop when Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Cory Heller saw her “holding … her mother by the straps of the backpack she was wearing in an attempt to keep her from walking away,” according to the arrest report.
A security guard later told Heller that Soto and her mother had become “aggressive” toward each other.
Heller, who said both Soto and her mother appeared intoxicated, helped them call an Uber vehicle to take them home but Soto began yelling profanities at Heller and the driver.
Soto was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car, where “she began banging [her] head against the window in what appeared to be an attempt to harm herself. Amanda was further restrained for her safety,” Heller stated.
She was booked into jail at 10:44 Sunday night, according to the jail’s online database, and was later freed on bond. The charge against her is a second-degree misdemeanor.
“It should be noted that I attempted to calm Amanda numerous times from her agitated state and that even while attempting to speak with her she continued to utter that her husband is a congressman, therefore, she can do whatever she wants,” Heller stated in the report.
In a statement, Darren Soto said his wife has been treated for depression for years and recently stopped taking medication “in accordance with her treatment plan and under her doctor’s [supervision].’’
“Yesterday, she drank too much and reached an argumentative state with a family member, which led to arrest,’’ Soto said. “She deeply regrets her actions and takes full responsibility for them. Amanda and her physician will be reviewing her mental health treatment, immediately.’’