Officer an eyewitness to frightening driving display | Crime

SALISBURY - Typically police officers arrive after a crime is committed, but in the case of Salisbury Police Officer J.N. Wilson, he had a front row seat to a frightening display of suspected drunk driving.

On Thursday night just after 9 pm, Wilson saw the driver of a Chevy SUV run off Highway 52 near Granite Quarry and run into a ditch.  Wilson stopped to check on the driver, but as he did, she backed up and sped away, tires screeching.

Officer Wilson got back into his car and followed the SUV.  As he approached, he saw the driver strike a brick wall in front of a house, back up, take off again, then run into another ditch. 

This time the driver stayed in the car when Wilson approached.  In his report he noted that the driver, Leslie Wells Weaver , 30, had red eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol.  When the officer gave the driver a test to determine the amount of alcohol in her blood, the number was .30, nearly four times the legal limit for driving.

Weaver was charged with impaired driving.