Woman charged after 911 caller reports driver asleep in parking lot

An undated photo of a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service vehicle. (File Photo/CTV News)

A 49-year-old woman faces multiple charges after police say officers found her in the driver’s seat with an open container of alcohol within reach in a Sault Ste. Marie parking lot last week.

Sault police said officers were dispatched at about 9:30 p.m. on March 26 following a 911 report of a person who appeared to be asleep in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in a parking lot in the 500 block of Trunk Road.

“Upon speaking with the driver – and observing an open container of alcohol within their reach – officers developed grounds to believe their ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol,” said the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service in a news release Monday.

The driver was taken into custody and transported to the Police Services Building, where she provided multiple breath samples to a qualified technician, all of which, police say, registered above the legal limit.

The motorist was charged with dangerous driving and driving a motor vehicle with an open container of liquor, along with two impaired driving offences – including having a blood alcohol concentration of more than 80.

In addition to the charge, under provincial law, the accused’s driver’s licence was automatically suspended for 90 days and her vehicle was impounded.

The woman was released on an appearance notice and is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.