A woman with several previous driving while intoxicated convictions was arrested on suspicion of the same offense Monday after she fell asleep at the wheel and crashed, according to a police report.
At about 6:06 p.m., police were dispatched to a crash at the intersection of North Carroll Boulevard and West Oak Street. The caller said a vehicle crashed into them, and the driver appeared to be asleep.
The Denton Fire Department made it to the scene first. Fire personnel told police that the driver allegedly admitted to drinking alcohol.
Police approached the driver, who was the only occupant of her vehicle. She said she had just woken up and didn’t know she had crashed. Police reported that she smelled strongly of alcohol and had extremely slurred speech. She said she had consumed a lot of liquor.
The other driver said they were behind her vehicle at a stoplight and had to drive around her because she had fallen asleep. When they stopped at the next light, they said, she rear-ended them.
Police attempted to conduct a standard field sobriety test, but the woman was unable to follow instructions and they did not attempt any more due to safety concerns, according to the report. She was placed under arrest.
The woman did not consent to a blood draw. After police were granted a search warrant from a local judge, a phlebotomist obtained a specimen of her blood.
Once she was medically cleared, police transported the woman to the Denton City Jail without incident.
At the jail, they learned she had three previous DWI convictions out of different North Texas agencies. Driving while intoxicated, third or more if at trial, is a third-degree felony.
Police spokesperson Amy Cunningham said she wasn’t sure how long the intersection was blocked off as police responded to the crash. But the report states the woman was arrested at 6:18 p.m., shortly after police arrived.
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BROOKE COLOMBO can be reached at 940-566-6882 and via Twitter at @brookecolombo.