Suspected drunken driver hits police car

By St. Joseph News-Press

A routine traffic stop in the South Side resulted in a damaged cruiser for a St. Joseph police officer early Friday morning.

Police spokesman Capt. Kevin Castle said an officer’s car was rear-ended by an alleged drunken driver while he was outside his vehicle on a traffic stop. The officer saw the car coming and was able to get out of the way.

Police arrested 61-year-old Linda J. Collier and charged her with a felony DWI. The cruiser, which only had 2,000 miles on it, had significant rear-end damage.

Oddly enough, Friday marked the start of holiday drunken driving enforcement, where extra officers will be patroling the streets for impaired drivers.