Arrested for OWI with kids in the car, woman complains handcuffs interfering with watch; refuses blood draw

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A Richfield woman is accused of driving drunk with her young children in her vehicle -- and officials say she was uncooperative during and after her arrest.

Washington County Sheriff's officials say on September 23rd, shortly before 8:00 a.m., the woman's vehicle rear-ended another vehicle in front of her that was making a left turn onto Hubertus Road from State Highway 164.

The force of the collision pushed the woman's vehicle 130 degrees southeast of the intersection.

The woman failed field sobriety tests, and was arrested. Her children, ages seven and eight were in the vehicle.

According to Sheriff's officials, during her arrest, she complained that the deputy's handcuffs were interfering with her $11,000 wristwatch -- so the deputy removed the watch.

Officials say the driver advised she wasn't going to submit to a blood test, so they obtained a search warrant. At the hospital, the driver continued to refuse the blood test, indicating she was never under arrest -- and deputies never read her the Miranda warning.

Sheriff's officials had this to say about that: "This should go without saying, but for the record, if a law enforcement officer puts handcuffs on someone, there is a very high probability that person is not free to go and under arrest. The Miranda warning that T.V cops often say – you know 'You have the right to remain silent…' only applies if the cops want to talk to you about the alleged crime. Believe it or not, there are times we would rather not."

The woman was secured to a gurney, and only then did she decide to not actively resist the blood draw.

The results of that blood draw? A .246 reading, resulting in an additional charge for the increased BAC violation.