Jo Ann Wallen, 34, of Delphos, was charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs Friday evening.
Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a vehicle making numerous marked lanes violations about 5:20 p.m. while traveling through Russells Point. Officers of the Russells Point Police Department and Washington Township Police Departments began searching for the vehicle.
A Russells Point officer spotted her vehicle in the area of U.S. Route 33 nearing the State Route 117 overpass and also observed the vehicle make multiple lane violations. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but said the driver did not yield to the emergency lights, but instead traveled eastbound in the westbound lanes of U.S. 33 for about 1.9 miles.
Deputies stationed along U.S. 33 observed the vehicle cross the median into the eastbound lanes near the U.S. 33 rest area. The vehicle came to a rest in the entrance to the eastbound rest area.
While speaking with Wallen, she indicated she was lost and was trying to get to Allen Drive to obtain an item she purchased through Facebook. Deputies observed that her speech was slightly slurred and her movements were lethargic.
Deputies also noticed small children in the rear of the vehicle, each seated in booster seats with their seat belts on.
Wallen told deputies she had a medical condition and deputies found a prescription bottle for clonazepam inside her purse. Deputies did not observe an odor of alcohol on her person.
She submitted to field sobriety tests and was transported to the Logan County Jail, where she refused to take a urinanalysis test. The children also were transported by deputies to the sheriff’s office and taken care of until Wallen was released to her boyfriend, deputies said.