MELBOURNE, FL — A United States Postal Service worker delivering mail in Melbourne was arrested last week after she admitted to drinking shots of vodka at a party during her delivery route and was caught driving the wrong direction and swerving through traffic in her government-issued mail truck.
According to the Melbourne Police Department, the driver, identified as 33-year-old Katelyne Dye, was spotted by witnesses driving erratically on South Harbor City Boulevard around mid-afternoon on April 12. The reporting vehicle followed Dye’s USPS truck after seeing red Solo cups being thrown from the driver’s window and noticing the smell of alcohol coming from the truck.
When officers caught up with the truck on East University Boulevard, they observed Dye swerving in and out of her lane, even crossing into oncoming traffic. Officers say the truck came dangerously close to hitting multiple cars and a group of children fundraising near the intersection of Lipscomb Street before police initiated a traffic stop.
Upon contact, Dye appeared disoriented and exhibited signs of intoxication, including flushed skin, glassy eyes, slurred speech, and erratic emotional behavior. When questioned, Dye initially denied drinking but later admitted to consuming “two vodkas” from a blue bottle while on a delivery break at a party on Riverview Drive.
“She stated that she was invited in and decided to take her 10-minute break and go inside,” the arrest report says. “She advised she drank two shots of vodka and then returned to her route.”
Police noted that Dye’s driving had endangered others on the road, including hitting curbs and flipping off a vehicle that had honked at her for nearly causing a collision. Witnesses submitted dashcam video of the incident, which has been entered into evidence.
Field sobriety exercises, which you can watch below, showed clear signs of impairment. Dye failed all parts of the evaluation, including the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand tests. She later submitted to a breath test which registered a 0.100 and 0.099 — just over Florida’s legal limit of 0.08.
Dye was arrested and transported to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office jail. She faces charges of Driving Under the Influence and received two additional traffic citations for failure to maintain lane and crossing a divided highway median.
As of publication, USPS has not responded to a request for comment regarding Dye’s employment status or disciplinary actions related to the arrest.
Stay with The Space Coast Rocket for updates as this story develops.
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