Drunk woman arrested after thinking a cop was a car hop

A woman in Elizabethton, Tennessee mistook a police officer for a car hop at a drive-in, and was charged with DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The incident began when someone called 911 after seeing a woman slumped over the steering wheel of a car in the parking lot of a food market. The caller then reported the woman left the parking lot, nearly striking several vehicles. The driver pulled into a parking space at the nearby Sonic Drive-In.

Elizabethton Police Officer Sarah Ellison responded to the call and approached the car. She said Veletta Newman was slumped forward with her keys in the ignition switch. When she tried to get Newman’s attention, Ellison said the woman woke up and sleepily handed her a $20 bill.

Ellison explained she was not a car hop bringing her food and identified herself as a police officer. She said Newman continued to hold the money toward her and did not seem to realize she was a police officer.

Ellison arrested Newman and during an inventory of the car Ellison reported finding a used syringe, a spoon with white powdery residue and numerous bottles of prescription medicine. (info from Johnson City Press)