A Virginia woman was taken into custody on drunk driving charges during the early morning hours of Sept. 9 after a Stafford County Sheriff’s Office deputy allegedly saw her driving the wrong way. The 38-year-old Manassas resident has also been charged with having an open container of alcohol in her vehicle, failing to drive on the correct side of a highway and not wearing a seat belt. According to media reports, the woman was processed at the Rappahannock Regional Jail and her bond has been set at $3,000.
Deputy initiates traffic stop
The events unfolded on Warrenton Road near Nokesville at approximately 3:33 a.m. A SCSO deputy says that he decided to initiate a traffic stop after almost being struck by a gold Chevrolet sedan that was proceeding southbound in the northbound lanes of the divided highway. According to the deputy, the Chevrolet then entered a ditch as it crossed to the roadway. According to the deputy, the woman behind the wheel of the Chevrolet initially ignored his signal to pull over. The traffic stop was made when the car pulled into an automobile repair facility parking lot.
Bloodshot and glassy eyes
The deputy says that the Chevrolet almost struck his patrol vehicle for the second time when the woman shifted into reverse instead of park. When he looked inside the vehicle, the deputy claims to have detected the smell of alcohol and noticed several empty alcoholic beverage containers. He says that he ordered the woman to take a standardized field sobriety test after observing that her eyes were glassy and bloodshot. She was taken into custody after the deputy determined that she had failed the test.
Negotiating plea agreements
The vast majority of drunk driving cases are settled before they go to court. If you are charged with DUI after a traffic stop and the toxicology evidence is convincing, an experienced criminal defense attorney may be able to convince the prosecutor to take a more lenient position by pointing out that you were not involved in an accident and mentioning your sincere remorse and willingness to take responsibility for your actions.
