COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Michigan State Police say a drunk driver in Branch County who tested with a blood alcohol level 3 times over the legal limit last night was behind the wheel with 2 young children in the vehicle.
A motorist on northbound I-69 near Fenn Road south of Coldwater said she saw a minivan driving erratically from lane to lane and called 911 Central Dispatch around 9:00 p.m. Thursday and a “be on the lookout” for the van was issued. Trooper Britt Owen located the vehicle on the interstate north of Jonesville Road in Girard Township and the female driver pulled over.
Owen said the 23-year old from Covington, Kentucky formerly of Michigan and another woman in the van were both intoxicated. In the back seat were the driver’s children, a 3-year old girl and a 3 month old, both in child restraint seats.
According to Owen, the driver’s blood alcohol level was point .24, putting her in the so-called super drunk category. Child Protective Services was notified and CPS was able to contact the mother’s relatives in Allegan County and they travelled to Coldwater last night to pick up the children and the other woman.
The van driver was booked at the Branch County Jail on a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle with a BAC of point .17 or higher as well child endangerment along with having a suspended Michigan driver’s license.
Her name is being withheld pending arraignment in Branch County District Court.
