tricia71
October 30th, 2009, 12:41 PM
AUSTIN, Texas -- A mother has been charged with drunk driving after Austin police say they found her passed out behind the wheel of her car with her toddler in the backseat.
The incident happened early Wednesday morning in the parking lot of a Southeast Austin apartment complex.
Rebecca Graham, 42, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated -- enhanced because she had a child under the age of 15 in the car with her. In this case, it was her 2-year-old daughter.
Apartment resident James Steel said he was leaving his apartment shortly before 2 Wednesday morning to go to the grocery store, when he walked by a parked car that had the engine running.
He told KVUE News he wouldn't have thought much about it but there was smoke coming from the engine. He said he didn't know if the woman behind the wheel was drunk or trying to commit suicide.
"I knocked on the glass and it seemed like she was unconscious and I tried to get her to wake up and it seemed like she was trying to wake up," said Steel, who called 911. "She turned off the engine to the car and said something about, 'We are here now,' and then started to open the door to the car, passed back out, and so I walked around to call the police, at which point, when the police arrived I turned back around, she was gone and the child was still in the back of the car."
Steel said he stayed by the car until the police arrived to make sure the little girl was OK.
Steel said the woman, Graham, did not go quietly when she was arrested.
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou0910230_tnt_mom-passed-out-in-car.2695398f4.html
The incident happened early Wednesday morning in the parking lot of a Southeast Austin apartment complex.
Rebecca Graham, 42, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated -- enhanced because she had a child under the age of 15 in the car with her. In this case, it was her 2-year-old daughter.
Apartment resident James Steel said he was leaving his apartment shortly before 2 Wednesday morning to go to the grocery store, when he walked by a parked car that had the engine running.
He told KVUE News he wouldn't have thought much about it but there was smoke coming from the engine. He said he didn't know if the woman behind the wheel was drunk or trying to commit suicide.
"I knocked on the glass and it seemed like she was unconscious and I tried to get her to wake up and it seemed like she was trying to wake up," said Steel, who called 911. "She turned off the engine to the car and said something about, 'We are here now,' and then started to open the door to the car, passed back out, and so I walked around to call the police, at which point, when the police arrived I turned back around, she was gone and the child was still in the back of the car."
Steel said he stayed by the car until the police arrived to make sure the little girl was OK.
Steel said the woman, Graham, did not go quietly when she was arrested.
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou0910230_tnt_mom-passed-out-in-car.2695398f4.html