Watch CBS News

Woman Allegedly Assaults CHP Officer After DUI Arrest Near Santa Rosa

SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) - A woman arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence near Santa Rosa on Tuesday assaulted a California Highway Patrol officer while being booked into jail, according to the CHP.

Officers responded to reports of a reckless driver on northbound U.S. Highway 101 near Bicentennial Avenue at 2:55 p.m.

The CHP then received reports that the vehicle, a 1981 Datsun 280ZX, had parked across a curb on Old Redwood Highway at Ursuline Road, and that the driver was seen stumbling away.

CHP officers arrived and found a woman lying in the dirt about 30 feet from the car.

The woman was so intoxicated she was unable to stand on her own, and officers helped her to her feet and escorted her back toward her car, according to the CHP.

As they were walking with her, she attempted to break away from the officers. She was then arrested on suspicion of DUI. The CHP identified her as Ellen Underwood, 32, of Oakland.

Once in the back of the patrol car, she again attempted to escape, kicking at the car's windows, according to the CHP.

After arriving at the Sonoma County Jail, Underwood kicked an officer in the leg and torso as he was preparing paperwork, and continued to resist jail personnel violently, CHP officials said.

Underwood has a prior conviction for DUI, according to the CHP.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.