A 32-year-old Kimball Township woman found herself in trouble this past weekend after drunkenly rear-ending a Port Huron Police patrol car.
Port Huron Police report that shortly after 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 18, an officer was traveling north on Pine Grove Avenue in a marked patrol car when, just south of Kennelworth Drive, a speeding vehicle crashed into the patrol car from behind. After the collision, the driver attempted to flee, turning east and onto Kennelworth Drive, but due to her intoxication, ended up leaving the roadway and taking down several road signs as she attempted to negotiate the turn.
After leaving the roadway again, the driver fled across several lawns before striking a tree in the 3000 block of Woodland Drive. She attempted to flee the disabled vehicle, but was caught and arrested after a short foot chase.
While she was taken to the hospital for medical treatment after the crash, police searched her vehicle before impounding it, finding a handgun in the vehicle. Though the woman does have a concealed carry permit, her intoxication level put her in violation of the permit. The driver was lodged at the St. Clair County Intervention Center for Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Being Intoxicated while Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Fleeing the Scene of a Traffic Crash.
Over the last couple months, the Blue Water Area has experienced several tragic deaths in traffic crashes where one of the people in the crash was driving intoxicated. As the holiday season begins, police departments tend to see an increase in drunk driving crashes and arrests. They urge you to please not drive if you’re attending holiday parties, or any other event, and know that you’re going to consume alcoholic beverages.
Calling a cab, using Blue Water Area Transit, having a designated driver, or staying with a friend are all recommended by officers this time of year. During the holiday season police departments in the Blue Water Area put extra officers on patrol to seek out intoxicated drivers through funding provided by the Office of Highway Safety Planning.
