Woman with Multiple Prior Arrests and DUIs gets Arrested Again on Thanksgiving

Around 3:41 PM on November 23, 2023, Sergeant David Marler with the South Kingstown Police Department was headed eastbound on Main Street, and he observed a black Toyota 4Runner turn erratically from Robinson Street onto Main Street. The vehicle then struck a sign on the double yellow line and drove westbound through empty parking spaces on Main Street. After the driver passed his patrol car, Sergeant Marler made a U-turn and activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. The driver stopped on Main Street in front of the Paul Masse Chevrolet dealership. The officer made contact with the driver, who was identified as Donna. 
Donna told the officer that she was coming from Sunset Farm, but denied consuming any alcohol. He noticed that Donna’s movements appeared sluggish and her eyelids appeared droopy. Donna was unable to provide the officer with a license. Based upon his suspicion of impairment, Donna was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. 
Sergeant Marler started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Donna did not touch heel-to-toe on each step and took an incorrect number of steps. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Donna failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down after approximately 20 seconds. The final field sobriety exercise was a finger-count test. 
Sergeant Marler returned to his patrol car and looked through Donna’s information. A search of the system yielded multiple prior arrests including at least 2 prior DUIs in Rhode Island. After checking her information, Sergeant Marler called for another officer to bring the PBT device so that she could take a portable breathalyzer test. Donna was uncooperative and she failed to properly blow into the device.
Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol in the vehicle, her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, her inability to complete the PBT test, and her history of prior arrests and DUIs, Sergeant Marler placed Donna under arrest for driving under the influence. Donna was secured in the patrol car at 4:11 PM and transported to the South Kingstown Police Department at 4:21 PM for further processing. 
At the station, Donna was read the Implied Consent Notice, and at 4:46 PM she refused to submit blood samples for testing. Donna was presented before Justice of the Peace Tom O’Brien and released at 7:10 PM pending her court appearance on December 4, 2023. Sergeant Marler issued Donna the following citations: DUI, refusal to submit to chemical test, manner of turning at intersection, and laned roadway violation.
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