By Bonnie Culverhouse

A Claiborne Parish woman was arrested around 8:45 p.m. Sunday by Minden Police for driving while intoxicated and improper lane usage.

Jaqueline Cathey, 30, of the 200 block of James St., Homer, was stopped by Ofc. Anthony Crittenden on U.S. 79 north (Homer Road) when he noticed a brown Honda Accord change lanes without signaling, passing the officer in the left lane.

“The vehicle then made an abrupt lane change again without signaling back to the right and then again to the left,” said Chief Jared McIver. “When Ofc. Crittenden activated his lights, the vehicle pulled into a pharmacy parking lot and stopped.”

McIver said Crittenden made contact with the driver – identified as Cathey, who appeared visibly upset.

“Cathey told the officer she was ‘having a bad day,’” said the chief. “Her speech was slurred and she appeared to be lethargic. The officer said he did not detect the odor of alcohol at the time of the stop, however, he suspected she was impaired based on his observations of her driving and general impression during the stop.”

Crittenden reportedly requested the presence of Sgt. Chris Cayer who is certified in field sobriety testing. Cathey was taken into custody based on the results of the test.

McIver said a prescription bottle of liquid codeine-Guaifen was found in Cathey’s purse.

“It was not prescribed to Cathey. She said it belonged to her father and she had not taken any of it,” McIver said.

A license plate check showed Cathey’s vehicle was not insured.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.