Intoxicated Woman on Probation for DUI Strikes Home with Vehicle

An Evansville woman on probation for Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated has been arrested on new charges related to drunk driving after striking a home with her vehicle.

On May 15th, 2020 at 11:11pm, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 8400-Block of Rainier Drive in the Town and Country Mobile Home Community off North Saint Joseph Road upon report of a motor vehicle that had struck a residence. The driver was described by the 911 caller as attempting to flee.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived in the area and located Ms. Robin Jeanne Bates near the crash. Additional arriving deputies checked the surrounding homes and verified that no one was injured during the crash. German Township Fire Department firefighters were summoned to the scene to check for structural damage and any possible natural gas leaks from the crash. Deputies asked Bates what happened and she stated she backed out of the residence across the street and lost control of her vehicle. Bates was crying and stated several times that she was drunk. When speaking with Bates, deputies noticed that she had slurred speech and a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her person.

Deputies asked Bates if she would submit to field sobriety test and she stated she was too drunk to conduct them and requested to go to jail. Bates attempted to walk away from deputies and began yelling obscenities at neighbors that had been awoken by the crash. Bates eventually agreed to take field sobriety tests, but then refused to cooperate.

Bates submitted to a portable breath test, which showed she was over three times the legal limit in Indiana of .08. Bates later provided breath sample for a certified breath test, which confirmed her breath alcohol content was was .247.

Deputies checked Bates criminal history and discovered that she was on probation, having pleaded guilty to Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated (OMVWI) in Vanderburgh County on January 9th, 2020. Bates’ driver’s license was also suspended and she was unable to provide any proof of insurance for her vehicle.

Bates was subsequently arrested and booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail. Her next scheduled court appearance will be on Monday.

ARRESTED:

Robin Jeanne Bates (pictured above), 45, of Evansville. OMVWI with a Prior Conviction as a Level 6 Felony, OMVWI-B A C .15% Or More as a Class A Misdemeanor, OMVWI as a Class A Misdemeanor, Driving with License Suspended as a Class A infraction, Operating Without Insurance as a Class A Infraction. 

Pictured above: Crash scene on Rainier Drive.

Presumption of Innocence Notice: The fact that a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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