VINEYARD, Utah — A woman was arrested Friday after allegedly driving drunk while picking up her kids from school in Utah County. Police also said she had used marijuana beforehand.
The mother was picking up her daughter and son from an elementary school in Vineyard when school staff called police because they believed she was intoxicated, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Staff members prevented the kids from getting in the car with the mother due to her appearing drunk and "not well." Police say she then became angry and sat in her car, parked next to the school playground.
When deputies arrived, the kids reportedly ran away, jumped a fence, and got in their mom's car. She then drove away with them.
The woman was later found at a nearby gas station. Police said she had a strong odor of alcohol and failed sobriety tests. She was then arrested.
Police learned that the woman had asked a stranger at the gas station to take one of her kids back to the school. Deputies returned and found the child with school staff, and both kids were eventually released to a family member.
Officials with the sheriff's office said they are not releasing the mother's name in order to protect the children's identities. She was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and multiple traffic-related charges. Her bail was set at $2,500.
"School staff in this incident are to be commended for noticing the condition of this woman," the sheriff's office wrote in a press release Friday evening.
