Bad Day Made Worse Following Police Call from One Motorist

A driver thought her day was about to get at least a bit better when she called 911 to solicit police assistance after another motorist barreled into her from behind at 30 miles per hour when she was stopped at a red light.

Instead, it got worse.

And by a long shot.

The help she was expecting didn’t materialize when the officer responding to her call made the observation that she notably unsteady on her feet.

That prompted his demand that she undergo field sobriety testing for suspected drunk driving, notwithstanding herĀ objections and adamant denial that she had consumed any alcohol at all.

The woman gave “short quick answers to questions and was speaking rapidly” stated the officer in an official report.

Many people might reasonably conclude that it was a wonder she could respond at all, giver her near brush with death in an accident that destroyed her car.

Her expectation of some comfort and help never materialized, with her attorney stating that what transpired instead was an unlawful search of her body for weapons and drugs that included examination of her breasts, which a media report notes understandably “left her feeling violated.”

That sense of violation and unfairness was undoubtedly heightened by the officer subsequently handcuffing her and slapping her with charges of both driving under the influence and resisting arrest.

The woman was subjected to two blood tests. Both of them — one done by police, the other by a hospital — were negative for any evidence of alcohol or drugs in her system at the time she interacted with the officer.

Understandably, her legal counsel is demanding that all charges be dismissed. The city where the incident took place (a Utah locale, although such a matter could occur anywhere, including at any venue in Alameda County) might soon find itself as the named defendant in a legal complaint alleging an unconstitutional search and seizure.

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