A city woman faces several charges after police say she was found slumped over the steering wheel of her SUV in the parking lot of a local pharmacy.
Officers of the Elizabethton Police Department arrested Marcy Matherly, 43, 1615 Scenic Drive, Tuesday night and charged her with driving under the influence, violation of the implied consent law and second offense driving on a suspended license.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday, EPD Cpl. Kirk Carrier answered a call to CVS Pharmacy, 1161 Highway 19E, after a 911 caller reported seeing someone slumped over the wheel of an SUV in the parking lot.
When he arrived, Carrier said he found a woman, later identified as Matherly, sitting in the driver’s seat and lying against the steering wheel. The engine was running, but the vehicle was in park, he said.
Carrier spoke to the woman to try to get her attention, but she did not respond, the officer said. Carrier said he then patted her on the shoulder while again speaking to her.
“(Matherly) lifted her head and began singing along with the radio without acknowledging my presence,” Carrier said.
After a few moments, Carrier was able to get the woman’s attention and asked to see her identification. Matherly was lethargic, her eyes were glassy, she could not speak clearly and she had difficulty finding her driver’s license, Carrier said.
“While Ms. Matherly searched for her ID, a vodka bottle fell from her purse,” Carrier said.
When Matherly stepped out of the car, she was unsteady on her feet and had to hold on to the side of the SUV to balance herself, Carrier said. Matherly performed poorly on field sobriety tests, he said.
When officers asked Matherly to submit to a blood test for alcohol or drugs, she refused, Carrier said.
During the investigation, officers learned Matherly’s driver’s license had been suspended and she had been convicted of driving on a suspended license.
After her arrest, Matherly was taken to the Carter County Detention Center, where she remains held under a $3,000 bond. She is scheduled to be arraigned next week due to General Sessions Court being closed this week.