Suspected drunken driver collides with Wayne County patrolman's vehicle

WAYNE COUNTY — A Richmond woman was arrested on allegations she hit a Wayne County Sheriff's patrolman's vehicle while she was driving intoxicated and with a blood-alcohol level of more than four times the legal limit, police say.

Patrolman T.J. Brown narrowly avoided colliding head-on with the 28-year-old woman late Saturday when he swerved away from her vehicle — but he wasn't able to avoid having the rear of his vehicle hit, according to a news release from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

Brown was on patrol about 11:54 p.m. when he was driving eastbound on U.S. 40 near Salisbury Road and saw the woman coming from the opposite direction. She was swaying left of the center lane as she approached, prompting Brown to brake and swerve in an attempt to avoid a collision.

The woman then hit the back of Brown's vehicle, causing herself minor injuries. Brown was not harmed, but both their vehicles were significantly damaged, the release states.

The woman was later tested for possible alcohol or drug intoxication. A blood-alcohol test yielded a result of 0.323%.

Police also discovered that the woman had plates not belonging to her placed on her vehicle.

She was arrested on suspicion of several driving violations, according to the release.

As of Monday, she hadn't been formally charged, online court records showed.