The News Room [News Archive]
Sheriff Contact: John Roach: 313-213-5162
Release Date: Monday, April 3, 2006
Repeat drunken driver who fled deputies slams into ambulance
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22-year-old Romulus woman charged with fleeing & eluding felony |
Wayne County Sheriff's deputies arrested a woman early Wednesday morning after she fled officers who had pulled her over on suspicion of drunken driving then slammed into an ambulance a mile up the road, slightly injuring two EMT workers.
At approximately 1:45 am on March 28th, sheriff's deputies pulled over Marquita Lewis, 22, of Romulus, after they observed her driving erratically on Merriman Road near Michigan Avenue in Westland. Lewis, who has one drunken driving conviction on her record, refused the officer's instructions to step out of her vehicle and sped off, continuing south on Merriman.
Officers then went back to their patrol vehicle and called out the vehicle description over the police radio and began to head in the direction Lewis fled. Just a mile up the road, at Van Born, before officers had caught back up to her, Lewis made a wide right turn and slammed into an ambulance that was stopped at the light waiting to make a left-hand turn onto northbound Merriman road.
Lewis and the two EMTs in the ambulance at the time all sustained minor injuries and were transported to Annapolis Hospital for treatment and observation. At the scene, Lewis became belligerent and again resisted officers, who placed her under arrest. The impact from the accident caused significant damage to Lewis' vehicle and moderate damage to the ambulance.
Lewis was charged the next day with the following offenses:
- Resisting & obstructing a Police Officer (2 yr felony)
- Fleeing & eluding a police officer (2 yr felony)
- OWI 2nd offense (misdemeanor)
- Driving while license suspended - 2nd offense (misdemeanor)
Ironically, Lewis was due in court later that day in Oakland County to face sentencing on several felony charges and also was wanted by the Romulus Police Department. Lewis is being held at the Wayne County jail on $150,000 cash bond.
Sheriff Warren Evans pointed out this case illustrates that there is no such thing as a "routine" traffic stop.
"Every traffic stop an officer makes has the potential for unexpected things like this to occur," he said. "Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and our officers were able to take someone off the street who clearly should not have been driving and had unfinished business with other police departments."
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