By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – In an unfortunate twist of irony, a woman who showed up at the Graham County Courthouse seeking legal protection ended up leaving in handcuffs after officers determined she had driven there heavily intoxicated with two young children in the car.
On Monday, Graham County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a welfare check at the courthouse after a court employee raised concerns about a possibly intoxicated woman who was attempting to speak with a judge to obtain a restraining order. The employee reported that the woman had difficulty holding a conversation and was accompanied by an infant and a toddler in the lobby.
Upon arrival, deputies located Lashay Williams, 56, standing next to an infant, while her partner, Royce Collinsworth, held a four-year-old toddler. When asked about their presence, Williams told deputies they were there to get an order of protection. However, deputies immediately noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from both adults, as well as bloodshot, watery eyes. Collinsworth admitted to taking at least three shots of alcohol earlier and identified Williams as the driver who had brought them and the children to the courthouse in a white Nissan Altima.
Williams admitted to consuming alcohol and driving to the building. After exhibiting six out of six clues of impairment on a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test and struggling to follow instructions for the Walk and Turn test, she was placed under arrest for Aggravated DUI.
A Portable Breath Test (PBT) at the scene indicated Williams had a breath alcohol concentration of .287—more than three and a half times the legal limit for a normal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) DUI.
When read the Arizona Admin Per Se form regarding a blood draw, Williams reportedly told deputies, “I’m sure there is alcohol in my blood,” and “I already know there is alcohol in my blood.”
She was transported to the Safford Police Department, where a certified law enforcement phlebotomist drew blood samples for evidence. Williams was subsequently booked into the Graham County Jail on two counts of Aggravated DUI for driving under the influence with passengers under the age of 15 and was subsequently given a $5,000 bond.
The Department of Child Safety (DCS) was notified, and the deputy remained with Collinsworth and the children until a sober driver arrived to transport them safely. The blood evidence has been submitted to the Arizona Department of Public Safety laboratory for analysis, with charges pending the results.
