State Police: Woman charged with drunk driving had .411 BAC

A Massachusetts woman was arrested Wednesday on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol after a motor vehicle stop on Route 295 South in the Town of Johnston, according to the Rhode Island State Police.

At approximately 4:40 p.m., troopers at State Police Headquarters received multiple 911 calls reporting an erratic driver on Route 295 South. Troopers located the vehicle and conducted a motor vehicle stop near Exit 6 (Route 6) in Johnston.

Police said the driver was identified as Elizabeth Salah, 23, of Canton, Mass. Salah allegedly failed all field sobriety tests administered at the scene.

Salah was placed into custody and transported to State Police headquarters where she took a breathalyzer test, police said. Salah’s first test result displayed a blood alcohol content of .411 – more than five times the legal limit, police said. Her second result displayed a blood alcohol content of .391, police said.

Salah was later arraigned by on the charge of Driving Under Influence of Alcohol – First Offense (with a blood alcohol content greater than .15), police said. She was issued a Sixth District Court re-arraignment date of April 6, 2017 and released into the custody of her parents.

Any person convicted of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol – First Offense where the blood alcohol content is greater than .15 is subject to a fine of $500, twenty to 60 hours of community service and may be imprisoned for up to one year. That person’s driving license will also be suspended for at least three months and a maximum of eighteen months, as well as alcohol counseling. The sentencing judge can also prohibit that person from driving a car that is not equipped with an ignition interlock system.