On the above date and time, this officer was assigned to uniform patrol in marked cruiser E3. At 8:54 pm, I was dispatched to the parking lot of the First Unitarian Church located at 130 Highland Ave, for a motor vehicle accident. A church service was just ending, and as such the parking lot was open for parking. I was met by XXXXX. XXXXX told me that her car was struck by a white Honda parked in front and that she believed the operator of that vehicle was drunk. I asked XXXXX why she believed the operator was drunk and she stated “I can smell it”. 

        I approached the white Honda, and observed a white female sitting in the driver’s seat with the key in the ignition and the engine running. I asked the female operator what happened, and she said ” I had a little accident”. I asked her for her license and registration. As she worked to produce them for me, she fumbled through her wallet, and dropped several papers out of the wallet. I also observed her speech was very slurred and her eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and she had a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath. At this point with her license, I identified the operator as Kathleen Carey, and she is the defendant in this case. I asked the defendant if she had been drinking alcohol tonight and she replied that she had been drinking at Post 19, which is right next door to where we were. I asked her several times how many drinks she had consumed. Her first answer was 2, then after repeating the question, she answered 6. 

        At this point, I asked the defendant to exit her car and walk over to the sidewalk with me. While doing this she was very unsteady on her feet, and steadied herself by holding on to her car. Once on the sidewalk, she was swaying back and forth as she spoke to me. I explained to her that I was going to give her 3 field sobriety tests. I explained each test and demonstrated each test to her. The whole time I was doing this she was swaying back and forth, and almost fell over. I had to take her arm to prevent her from falling. 

        Field sobriety test # 1 was to say the alphabet. I asked the defendant if she knew the alphabet and she told me she was a high school graduate and did know it. While attempting to say the alphabet, the defendant was only able to get as far as the letter E. At this point, she became confused and did not say the letters in the correct order. She also slurred the letters so badly that I could not understand which letters she was saying. 

        Field sobriety test #2 was to stand on one foot for 30 seconds. The defendant stated that she did not have any injuries or medical problems that would prevent her doing this test or the next. The defendant could not perform this test at all. She could not stand for more than one second on one leg, and at one point fell into me, because she was so off balance. 

        The third and final test was to walk 10 paces heel to toe. The defendant could not do this test. She did not walk heel to toe as directed. She never touched her heel to her toe at any time as she attempted this test. She was also very unsteady on her feet and I watched her carefully so I could prevent her from falling. 

            Based on my observations of the defendant, and her statements about how many alcoholic drinks she had consumed, I placed the defendant under arrest for operating under the influence of liquor. She was transported to the police station in the wagon. Once at the station she was booked and advised of her rights by Lieutenant Vivolo. The defendant agreed to take breathalyzer but she was unable to complete the test.