Mounties say a driver was found passed out behind the wheel of her parked truck with her baby and a dog in the backseat.
After being taken to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment, the woman gave two breath samples that registered 2.5 times the legal limit of .08.
“This incident is disturbing on many levels, but needless to say that we are just glad that the child was not injured in any way,” Const. Gary O’Brien said.
The truck was in park but the engine was still running.
It was located at the North Town Centre Mall about 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Oceanside RCMP had reported that the Ford F-150 pickup was believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run earlier in the day.
O’Brien said there were reports of the truck running another car off the road “and that’s where the plate and the description of the vehicle came from.” There was also another report of reckless driving in Nanaimo, he said.
Officers tried to rouse the 35-year-old woman by yelling and knocking on the truck’s windows but were unsuccessful. Paramedics and firefighters then joined in.
“We eventually got her attention,” O’Brien said.
The woman and child were taken to hospital by the paramedics to be checked over. During transport, officers who went along noticed a strong odour of alcohol on the woman’s breath.
Once the ambulance reached the hospital, the child was turned over to the father.
The woman was issued a 90-day driving prohibition and the truck was impounded for 24 hours. She was given a notice to appear in court on charge of driving while impaired and driving over the legal limit of .08.
