Woman arrested for DUI with sober, legal driver as a passenger

Contributed Photo/Courtesy SPD

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

SAFFORD – A woman who blew a .213 percent breath/alcohol concentration on a portable breath test was arrested for DUI in the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 13. While the woman appeared to be intoxicated at extreme DUI levels, her front seat passenger, who is a licensed driver, was completely sober and was allowed to drive the vehicle away after her friend was taken by police.

According to a Safford Police report, an officer was southbound on 8th Avenue at about 2:30 a.m. when he noticed an SUV a couple vehicles ahead of him traveling slowly and drifting toward the curb before correcting back into the proper lane.

After noticing the vehicle’s license plate tags were expired, the officer performed a traffic stop and encountered the driver, Debbie Hernandez, who appeared to be intoxicated.

Hernandez allegedly admitted she had just left a local bar and said she had about six beers that night. After failing a field sobriety test, the officer gave Hernandez a portable breath test, which registered a .213 percent breath/alcohol concentration, which is above extreme DUI standards if the percentage is replicated in a blood test.

After placing Hernandez under arrest for DUI, the officer contacted the front-seat passenger and noticed she had not been drinking that night at all and was completely sober. It is unknown why Hernandez would be driving while intoxicated when a sober driver was with her. The SUV was then released to the passenger and she was allowed to leave the scene.

Hernandez was taken to the Safford Police Department, where she consented to a blood draw and was then released to her husband. Possible DUI charges are pending the blood test results and review by prosecutors.