A 62-year-old Darien woman charged with driving while under the influence had almost triple the legal blood-alcohol content in her when she took a breath test, police said.
Darien police described the incident and her arrest in this account (including accusations not proven in court):
At 12:38 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, a police officer saw a Chevrolet fail to stop for the stop sign at the corner of Center Street and Old Kings Highway South. When he stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, he smelled alcohol coming from inside the car.
The driver told police she had been drinking at Darien Social. She did not pass field sobriety tests and was charged with driving while intoxicated and failing to stop for a stop sign.
At Darien Police Headquarters she took a breath test at 1:19 a.m., which showed her blood-alcohol level at 0.1999 — more than twice the legal limit of 0.08. At 1:40 p.m., a second test showed an even higher level — 0.2236. A level of 0.24 would be three times the legal limit.
She was released on a $200 cash bond and directed to appear Wednesday, Aug. 17, in state Superior Court in Stamford.