Woman arrested for DUI after parking in crosswalk

SAFFORD – Around 6:30 pm last Monday, an officer observed a white Tahoe parked at a stop sign on the East side of 8th Avenue and 11th Street. More than half of a vehicle was parked in a crosswalk. The officer conducted a traffic stop as it traveled west on 11th Street. According to the police report, the woman driver was known to police through prior contact.

The officer spoke with the woman about why she had been stopped, and also spoke to her in reference to a domestic situation earlier in the day that she had reportedly fled from and left behind a usable amount of heroin. During the traffic stop, the woman was apparently having uncontrolled movements and speaking incomplete sentences while breathing very heavily as she rocked back and forth in the seat. The officer believed the woman was under the influence of meth and asked her to exit the vehicle.

The asked the woman if she could do a walk and turn test on the sidewalk. It is reported she was unable to keep her balance and was unable to start the test. The woman stated her husband had been hitting her and she was too bruised to balance correctly. After attempting to take some other tests, and the officer asking when the last time she used meth, she said that she had probably used the day before, sometime in the morning. She also stated meth effects her badly because she hardly ever used it. The woman also stated she didn’t sleep the night before and felt tired, shaky and jittery.

The woman was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI and placed in the patrol vehicle. The officer took inventory of the vehicle before having it towed. At this time, the officer located a pen shell with one end burnt which had a brown residue inside and a cut portion of a drinking straw. An unused portion of aluminum foil was also found with the items in the center of the dash in a compartment located where the stereo screen lifted up.

During an interview at the Safford Police Department, the woman reported that she had left her residence the night before and had taken some heroin with her and slept in her vehicle in the desert on the way to Morenci. She also stated she only had the heroin to keep her company.

Another officer interviewed the woman regarding the heroin that was located at a domestic call the night before.

After the woman had her blood drawn and was fingerprinted, she was given a ride to stay with a friend.

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