By Joe Johnson
An Athens woman was arrested last week after crashing her car allegedly while intoxicated and injuring her niece who was a passenger.
The incident happened soon after 6 p.m. on Jan. 11 when 21-year-old Izalee Tasha Cooper was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe east on Timothy Road and failed to negotiate a curve just west of Cypress Manor Lane. When she over corrected the vehicle overturned and crashed into a light pole.
A friend picked up Cooper and drove her from the scene. Police located her at home on Vine Street a couple hours later.
Police noticed an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from Cooper, but she denied having consumed alcohol. She volunteered to provide a blood sample while also claiming that her religion forbade her from leaving home after 8 p.m. Police then arrested Cooper and transported her to the hospital, where they executed a search warrant to compel a blood draw.
She was subsequently taken to the jail and booked in on charges of DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, causing serious injury by vehicle, and failure to maintain lane of travel.
Cooper’s 18-year-old niece had been in the Tahoe when it crashed and reportedly suffered severe facial injuries.
I hope her text went well.