Police: Drunken Clown Arrested In Front Of Kids
Posted: 6:11 pm EDT May 24, 2009Updated: 10:20 am EDT May 26, 2009
NEWS9 has learned more about the real face behind the make-up that's getting a lot of attention.
Patricia Ingalls is the clown who Wheeling police arrested for alleged drunken driving late Friday after they said she left the scene of an accident.
Ingalls talked with NEWS9 Sunday and said that she's sorry that the children she went to entertain witnessed her being taken into custody.
"I'm not allowed to drink in costume and I should have never went (to the party) because I was too upset," said Ingalls.
A Breathalyzer test showed her blood alcohol level was .252, more than triple the legal limit.
Ingalls has been a clown for 17 years, but she's not laughing about what's happened, especially considering the children she said she disappointed as she was led away in a police cruiser in handcuffs.
"They were all hanging on me and saying, 'Don't take the clown,'" said Ingalls.
Ingalls was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of an accident.
Ingalls admits that she did consume alcohol, but she said she didn't drink before the accident, which happened earlier in the day. She said she drank after the crash and before arriving to entertain the kids.