PAW PAW, Mich. -- It was just after 2 a.m. on Sunday when a 39-year-old Hartford woman pulled right up to the front door of the Van Buren County Jail, investigators say.
The woman thought the sheriff's office was a bar.
The parking lot is used to walk suspects into jail, so early Sunday morning the woman didn’t have to travel far.
Sgt. Ron Douglas said that someone inside the jail saw the car pull up. The sheriff's office said that a woman could be heard asking her boyfriend to get back into the vehicle.
"One of the jailers noticed the vehicle pull up in the receiving bay, subsequently called attention to one of our deputies," said Sgt. Douglas.
Sgt. Douglas said that when a deputy approached the woman, he smelled alcohol on her breath. It turns out according to officials, she was more than twice the legal limit.
As for the irony of allegedly driving drunk in the jail’s parking lot, Douglas said that nothing surprises him when it comes to people being under the influence.
"I don't find it uncommon for an individual's judgement to be impaired while under the influence of alcohol. It seems to be the case in this incident," said Sgt. Douglas.
The woman was released on bond. She will be identified pending formal arraignment.
