BEDFORD – A Paoli woman was arrested on Sunday, March 3, after Bedford Police officers responded to Total Tan at 1701 M Street.
An employee reported a woman was in one of the tanning booths and would not wake up.
When police arrived at 6:09 p.m. they said they could hear 55-year-old Melissa Price snoring over the sound of the tanning beds and through the closed door.
The employee told police that Price’s session was over 30 minutes ago, and they had been knocking on the door trying to wake her.
Bedford Police Department Officer Sarah Haluda entered the room, opened the tanning bed, and shook Price several times to rouse her. She then fell right back to sleep. Officer Haluda woke Price again.
Price had glassy eyes and her speech was slow and slurred.
Price, who was unsteady on her feet, then attempted to walk past officers to leave through a back door. She was stopped. Price was hesitant to give Officer Haluda her driver’s license but did provide it while asking me if she was in trouble. Instead of handing the officer her license, she handed the officer her debit card.
Price told police she had driven her blue Ford Escape to Total Tan after leaving Oasis Tropical Nails.
Officer Haluda asked Price to submit to a portable breath test and she refused. Price said she had called her husband to come pick her up. When asked why she needed someone to pick her up, Price said she was “too drunk to drive, and she had already had four beers.”
Price was then detained. Police found an open Michelob Ultra in the passenger floorboard. Price’s husband never arrived at Total Tan. Price’s vehicle was left parked at A Total Tan.
Price was transported to the Bedford Police Department and agreed to submit to a blood draw, but declined to answer any questions or participate in any field sobriety tests.
At the Bedford Police Department, Price finally agreed to submit to a portable breath test and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.216. She was then transported to IU Health Bedford Hospital for a blood draw. Price did tell police she had a pending OWI case in Knox County. Prince was transported to the Lawrence County Jail on charges of public intoxication, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and OWI per se with a blood-alcohol level above 0.15.
