A Gainesville woman drunkenly fell asleep behind the wheel Saturday with her car in drive and facing oncoming traffic at an intersection, Gainesville Police said.
At about 4:15 a.m., police found Tonia Maria Vandervort, 34, with her head slumped over her car’s steering wheel at the intersection of Northwest 16th Boulevard and Northwest 41st Street, according to a police report.
There was a strong odor of alcohol coming from the car and a mostly empty bottle of Kentucky Gentleman bourbon in the back seat, according to the report.
Before trying to wake Vandervort, a GPD officer opened her door and put the car in park, according to the report. He then tried to wake her by talking to her, beeping the car’s horn and pulling on her shoulder.
Vandervort did not wake up until the officer used an ammonia stick, and it took her a couple of minutes to realize where she was, according to the report.
Vandervort’s eyes were watery and bloodshot, and police recorded her blood-alcohol levels as being 0.162 and 0.159, which is roughly double the legal limit, according to the report.
“I should not have been driving,” she said, according to the report.
Police arrested Vandervort on a charge of driving under the influence. Authorities took her to the Alachua County Jail, where she was released Saturday on her own recognizance.
When contacted, Vandervort declined to comment on the arrest.
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