DEERFIELD — A University of Massachusetts student has been charged with drunken driving after she was stopped for speeding early Saturday morning.
Rachel M. Lesbirel, 20, of Natick, was traveling over the Sunderland Bridge toward Deerfield at 1:25 a.m. when she was pulled over for driving 52 in a 40-mph zone, according to a report by Deerfield police officer Brent Griffin. There were six occupants in the five-person vehicle, and Griffin wrote he could smell an overwhelming odor of alcohol emanating from the car.
Lesbirel, the operator, had bloodshot, glassy eyes and slurred speech, and said everyone in the vehicle had been drinking that night and no one was sober enough to drive home, according to the report. Griffin wrote all occupants were under 21 years old and Lesbirel told him she had a drink at 6 p.m.
According to the report, she failed a series of field sobriety tests and a portable breath test showed a result of 0.18 percent blood alcohol content.
Lesbirel was placed under arrest and a breath test during booking showed she had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 percent — nearly three times the legal limit. She made $40 bail and got a sober ride home.
Lesbirel was arraigned on charges of drunken driving and speeding in Greenfield District Court Tuesday and was released on personal recognizance. She is due back in court June 6 for a pretrial conference.
You can reach Aviva Luttrell at:
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