Pelham Police Find DWI Driver Asleep at the Wheel

Pelham police made a DWI arrest last Wednesday, around noon, after discovering a Massachusetts woman literally asleep at the wheel of her car on Lincoln Ave., and apparently, dangerously drunk. 

According to Pelham police reports, Heather M. Pari, 52, of Dennis, MA was arrested for DWI after chemical tests indicated she had a blood alcohol content of 0.27 percent. The legal limit for operation of a vehicle in New York is 0.08 percent.

Police first received a call from a Lincoln Ave. pedestrian who saw Pari leaning over the passenger seat of her Honda Accord on the side of the road near Sixth Ave.

When they arrived, police saw the unresponsive woman, still in her seat belt, engine not running, leaning over toward the passenger side of her car.

Police saw 2 bottles of vodka in the car and an open can of soda in the center console.

After helping the woman out of the car, rousing her and helping her sit on the curb, she reportedly told police she had drank from one of the bottles of vodka. One was unopened, the other was nearly two-thirds empty, according to the report. 

Pari couldn't perform any field sobriety tests or walk without assistance and was taken by ambulance to Sound Shore Medical Center for medical attention.

After her release from the hospital, police administered a chemical alcohol test at the Pelham police station. She reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.27 percent.

Pari was charged with several DWI offenses including having a blood alcohol content more than 0.18 percent and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle.