heather-nichols

A Washington woman was arrested for operating while intoxicated following a vehicle incident Friday.

The Washington County Communications Center received a call at approximately 3:16 a.m. of an SUV in the ditch and running near the intersection of Dogwood Avenue and 190th Street in Keota. The criminal complaint states a Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy reported to the scene and spoke with a witness who saw the driver begin to walk north on Dogwood Avenue and was later picked up in a truck. Upon locating the truck, the deputy performed a traffic stop on 180th Street where the vehicle pulled into a residence. Fifty-year-old Heather Ann Nichols attempted to go inside the house before being stopped. Nichols was reported to have had bloodshot watery eyes, the odor of alcohol coming from her, slurred speech and bad balance. She was later transported to the Washington County Jail to do standardized field sobriety tests because it was too cold outside. After performing the tests, Nichols consented to taking a breath test and the result was a .150 blood alcohol concentration level. She was arrested and charged with OWI second offense, an aggravated misdemeanor. Keota Fire and QRS responded to the scene.