Driver Dozing DUI: WPD Lot Blocked April 1

WARWICK, RI — A West Warwick driver dozing then wakened by Warwick officers after her Honda Pilot blocked the exit to WPD Headquarters‘ back lot April 1 at 5:30 a.m., took a while to realize where she was.

WPD Sgt. John Zaborski noticed the SUV blocking the exit to the log as he attempted to leave, finding the white vehicle stopped diagonally across the exit. He pulled closer to the Pilot and saw a woman asleep at the wheel. As he got out and walked to the vehicle, he noticed the keys were still in the ignition and the SUV was still running. The woman woke up as he approached, and he was able to identify her as Kimberly O’Connor, 43, of 60 Peters Lane, West Warwick.

Officer Kevin Grant arrived, noted apparent heavy front-end damage to the 2009 Pilot, and began speaking with O’Connor, who was refusing to step out of the vehicle as Zaborski asked. Grant asked where O’Connor was coming from, and if she knew where she was. O’Connor said she had finished working a shift in Providence at midnight and that she thought she was in North Kingstown.

O’Connor accurately answered questions about the day of the week, the date and the current president, then, after looking at her surroundings, said, “Oh, I know where I am. I’m in Warwick,” according to Grant’s report.

As they spoke, Grant noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from the woman’s breath, that her eyes were bloodshot, and that she was speaking in circles. Zaborski advised Grant he had seen several opened alcoholic containers in the SUV. Grant asked her to take sobriety tests.

During the tests, O’Connor demonstrated a lack of smooth pursuit and involuntary eye movement in her vision. She was not able to follow instructions for a walk and turn test, which Grant ended after numerous attempts. A one leg stand test was not attempted for the same reason, according to the report. Grant arrested her for suspicion of DUI, and transported her the short distance to Warwick Police Headquarters, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive, where she was given several opportunities to refuse or accept a breath test of her blood alcohol content, then was marked as a refusal when she refused to make a decision, Grant reported.

Instead, Grant reported O’Connor ran in the cell block area and attempted to enter the computer area before she was escorted to a holding cell at about 6:30 a.m. She refused to leave the cell for processing for the next two hours, until officers were able to fingerprint, process and photograph her, then release her without incident.