A Gary woman faces charges after admitting she drank a pint of Wild Turkey bourbon several hours before driving her three grandkids to school last year.
Court records show Annamargaret Miller, 49, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.211% — almost three times the legal limit.
She was charged Tuesday with three counts of neglect of a dependent, one count of operating while intoxicated and a misdemeanor.
River Forest High School Principal Hayley Morris called the school resource officer at 7:40 a.m. Feb. 10, 2023, saying a school bus driver spotted a “reckless driver” in a maroon Dodge near Evans Elementary, located 2915 E. 35th Ave.
The bus driver followed the vehicle on her route, then radioed for another driver to follow it.
Miller pulled into the Evans Elementary parking lot and parked. Cops later found her asleep behind the wheel and two grandkids, aged 6 and 7, were unrestrained in the back.
The woman had trouble getting out and cops smelled booze on her. She had glassy eyes, slurred speech and she was unsteady on her feet. She said she had two shots of Wild Turkey before midnight the day before.
She failed multiple field sobriety tests and a blew 0.228% on a breathalyzer. Later, at the police station, a chemical test showed her blood-alcohol content was 0.211%.
Miller later admitted she drank a pint of whiskey before midnight. Her daughter, who came off the night shift, asked her to take the kids to school. Miller dropped off one grandchild, aged 12, at River Forest Middle School, before heading with the two younger kids to Evans.
The first bus driver told cops she saw the vehicle going south on Indiana Street while repeatedly crossing into oncoming traffic. Miller then slowed down under the speed limit on the road, she said. The second bus noted Miller was headed from 37th Avenue to Liverpool Road and nearly hit a tree at one point.
Another witness said Miller did not appear to leave the vehicle once she pulled into the school.
The school’s cameras did not capture Miller’s vehicle.
