A Kentucky mother was arrested yesterday after telling cops she had driven while drunk to teach her son a lesson, local media outlets reported.
Sunita Jairam, 48, was detained just before 1 a.m. yesterday on charges of driving under the influence and endangering the welfare of a minor, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
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Citing arrest records, the newspaper reported that Jairam—who claimed to have been drinking all day—told deputies she "drank a bunch of beer and got in her car to drive to teach her son a lesson." The woman told cops she had driven her BMW at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour.
Police officers noted that the suspect had been slurring her speech and smelled of alcohol while being arrested, Lexington-based news outlet WKYT-TV reported.
Her child, age unknown, reportedly tried to exit the vehicle a number of times because of his mother's driving but the door was locked, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Jairam was transported to the Fayette County Detention Center in lieu of $2,500 bond. Her blood-alcohol level was .161—double the amount police consider to be over the limit.
Local police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not yet clear exactly what lesson the woman was attempting to relay onto her son. Court records showed Jairam had prior charges for public intoxication and speeding, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
The suspect was scheduled to appear in court today.
Last November, Lexington police detained a mother who was driving children under the influence of heroin. As WKYT-TV reported at the time, authorities found Gabrielle Cochran "slumped over the steering wheel" after she swerved into traffic.
The same month, another Lexington woman was accused of helping kids smoke drugs. Police said the suspect, Janet Cates, had let her neighbor's kids smoke marijuana in her apartment. She was later charged with unlawful transaction with a minor.
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