‘Swerving’ driver accused of DUI had empty White Claws — and kids — in SUV, SC cops say
A driver was “swerving all over the road” before two children and five empty White Claw drinks were found in her SUV, officials said.
The 26-year-old woman reportedly was seen veering into a bike lane before she was pulled over in South Carolina on Saturday, June 11. She was caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.26 — more than three times the state’s legal driving limit of 0.08, according to the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
Now, the woman is facing multiple charges, including driving under the influence.
Officials responded at about 3:30 p.m. to a report of an “erratic driver” near the Isle of Palms Connector, a bridge roughly 15 miles outside of Charleston. An officer in the area spotted the driver “laid on the horn for no apparent reason” and pulled over her GMC Yukon, according to a police report.
As one officer questioned the driver, another noted two kids and several hard seltzer cans were in the SUV, officials said. A parent of the children came to pick them up.
“There were 5 empty White Claws in a brown paper bag on the front passenger floorboard,” officers wrote in their incident report. “There was also one open White Claw in the center console with some liquid left in it and a clear Solo cup with a mixed drink of alcohol.”
Also during the stop, police said the woman “was slurring her words, had glassy eyes, had trouble maintaining her balance and had the smell of alcohol on her person.” She told an officer she’d had up to three White Claw drinks about 30 minutes or an hour before the encounter with police.
The woman also reportedly had problems reciting the alphabet and maintaining her balance during a field sobriety test.
In addition to DUI first offense, she was charged with open containers in a motor vehicle and child endangerment. She was taken to the Charleston County jail and released on June 12 ahead of a court date next month, records show.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 3:28 PM with the headline "‘Swerving’ driver accused of DUI had empty White Claws — and kids — in SUV, SC cops say."
