Mugshot of Lauren Slaton. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A woman appeared before a judge in the V.I. Superior Court on Monday after being arrested on DUI and other charges.
Lauren Slaton was arrested and charged on Saturday for driving under the influence of an intoxicating liquor, driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or more and negligent driving.
Her arrest follows a report placed with the 911 Emergency Call Center of an automobile collision on the Southshore Road.
According to court documents, upon arrival at the scene, police made contact with two individuals who were involved in the collision. Slaton was operating a blue Chevrolet Silverado and told police that her vehicle was in the bushes and refused to provide further information.
During a conversation with Slaton, police observed that her speech was slurred and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was on her breath. Her eyes were also red and watery and she could not hold her balance. Slaton agreed to participate in the standardized field sobriety tests, which she failed, according to the probable cause fact sheet.
She was placed under arrest and transported to the Ancilmo Marshall Command Station where she submitted to a chemical test of her breath. Slaton blew into the intoximeter instrument which revealed her blood alcohol content was.289, way over the 0.08 limit.
The owner of the other vehicle involved in the accident, a gray Toyota Tundra, said he was traveling westbound on Southshore Road when he noticed Slaton’s vehicle in his lane. He said he started to blow his horn to gain Slaton’s attention but he noticed that she was coming too fast towards his vehicle so he veered off to avoid her. Slaton’s vehicle struck the rear of the Toyota Tundra, causing it to spin out of control. He said he tried to maintain control of his vehicle as it spun but it slid into the bushes.
In court on Monday, a judge ruled that Slaton will be allowed to post the full amount of her bail of $1,000. Her driving privileges will be suspended for 90 days, and during that time she will only be allowed to drive to work. Slaton is to remain gainfully employed and is to have no contact with any witnesses in the matter.
