PHOENIX (CBS5) -
An El Mirage woman accused of drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident had her 7-year-old son in the vehicle when she was arrested early Saturday morning, police said.
Tiffany Pemberton, 31, of El Mirage, faces several charges, including aggravated DUI, aggravated assault, endangerment and hit-and-run with injuries.
The hit-and-run accident occurred just after midnight Saturday in the area of 107th and Olive avenues. The two occupants of the other vehicle were injured but are expected to be OK.
Pemberton fled the scene and half-a-mile later, ran out of gas.
Officers said there were multiple opportunities for her to return to the accident scene before running out of fuel, but she failed to do so.
When police caught up with her, a portable breath test was administered. It indicated she had a blood alcohol content level of .123 percent, court paperwork stated.
In the hit-and-run accident, Pemberton suffered lacerations to her right eye and upper lip. She was taken to the emergency room for stitches and a medical evaluation.
Police discovered that her son, Levi Joe Harlow, 7, was a passenger in her vehicle. Harlow told officers his mother had been drinking beer before driving the vehicle and that she was involved in an accident, according to a probable cause statement.
Pemberton gave police conflicting accounts of what had happened, court paperwork stated.
A search warrant was obtained and blood was drawn to determine her BAC levels and drug content. The sample will be sent to the Arizona Department of Public Safety lab for analysis and results.
Pemberton admitted to consuming four beers before getting behind the wheel and knowingly driving with her child in the vehicle after consuming alcohol, police said.
She also admitted to smoking marijuana earlier the same day after being advised that her blood was going to be tested for drug content, court paperwork stated.
Police said Pemberton "didn't seem to think that there was any issues with consuming alcohol prior to driving her 7-year-old son around," according to the court document.
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© Tiffany Pemberton, 31, of El Mirage (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
