Woman charged with child abuse after driving drunk into ditch with kid: police

A St. Petersburg woman was charged with child abuse on Tuesday after receiving her third DUI when she crashed into a ditch with an 11-year-old girl in the vehicle, authorities said.The Pinellas Park Police Department arrested 40-year-old Laura Kasica. Kasica was driving when she crashed into a ditch near 47th Street North and 62nd Avenue North at about 6:06 a.m., according to a police report.After a tow truck pulled the vehicle from the ditch, Kasica tried to drive away but was stopped by police. Officers said she exhibited signs of impairment and was arrested on a DUI charge, her third offense.The 11-year-old girl told officers she saw Kasica drinking and showed police where Kasica had hidden a container of alcohol, officials said.The report did not mention the child's condition.Kasica was booked into the Pinellas County Jail without bond.