Niagara Falls Police responded to the 600 block of 77th Street around 12:30pm on March 11th after reports of a suspicious vehicle.
Upon arrival, officers observed a female sleeping behind the wheel while the vehicle was running, in drive, and in the middle of the roadway blocking traffic. Officers woke the female up by banging on the vehicle window. She was startled, disoriented and started pressing random buttons on her dashboard.
The female eventually placed the vehicle in park and opened the window. She told police, “I fell asleep because I was tired.”
The female stated she was on her way to Verizon to pick her husband up from work. Officers asked the female to exit the vehicle to make sure she was capable of operating it.
While the female was exiting the vehicle, officers observed what appeared to be several hypodermic needles scattered across the seats and floor. She was observed to have a large, open cut on her arm that she repeatedly scratched at. Officers also noted that she was missing several teeth.
The female was then asked if she would consent to standardized field sobriety testing, to which she consented. Before starting the HGN test, the female stated to officers that she was on Suboxone and smoked crack the previous night.
Officer Kinney conducted the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing. Testing clues were as follows:
HGN: Lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation. The female continued to nod off during the test and repeatedly moved her head and not her eyes.
Walk and Turn: Could not keep balance, stopped walking, missed heel to toe, stepped of the line, raised arms, and improper turn. The female began the test multiple times and then stopped the test after turning and complained of leg pain.
One-leg stand: This test was not conducted as Schultz complained that her legs were in pain.
Officer Bond conducted the finger count test, which the female used the wrong hand and failed the test.
Officer Bond also conducted the alphabet test, which the female was able to pass.
The female was taken into custody and read her Miranda Rights and DWI refusal warnings at 12:54pm. However, she did consent to a blood and urine sample kit at the hospital.
She was then transported to police headquarters at 1925 Main Street for booking and processing.
No further information is available at this time.
Woman Falls Asleep at the Wheel in Middle of Roadway with Needles Everywhere