Police: Intoxicated Mom Drives With Infant in the Backseat

Charges are pending against a Beaver Falls woman who police said nearly crashed while driving under the influence of alcohol with her infant child in the backseat.

Sewickley Police Sgt. Dave Mazza was on his way to work June 3 when he saw Christiana Soisson, 30, of Beaver Falls, driving erratically in the 700 block of Route 65. Mazza watched as Soisson’s car struck a curb three times and drove several feet onto the sidewalk nearly striking a utility pole, police said.

He notified the on-duty officer, who caught up to Soisson just past Quaker Road in Edgeworth. Her car had slowed to 20 mph, police said.

The officer stopped Soisson’s car and saw an infant sleeping in a car seat in the back. The officer also smelled alcohol and asked Soisson if she had been drinking. Police said Soisson first denied drinking, then admitted she had a couple of drinks and was coming from a friend’s house.

During a field-sobriety test, police said Soisson had trouble concentrating, then broke down and cried, asking what would happen to her child. Officers discovered that her driver’s license had expired in March and that her registration was suspended due to an insurance cancellation.

Soisson’s father agreed to meet police at the station to pick up Soisson and her child. Soisson was taken to l for a blood-alcohol test. She was released to her father and advised that she would receive DUI charges in the mail.

Sewickley Police also responded to the following incidents.  Information was supplied by the Sewickley Police Department; arrests do not indicate a conviction.

Distressed boater report

Police were called shortly before 9 p.m. June 2 to the U.S. Coast Guard station on the Ohio River for a report of a boater in distress. Police arrived and checked the area, but could not locate any boats. A short time later, police were advised that the boater was able to get his boat running and did not need assistance, police said.

Safety assistance

Police received a report June 2 of two young girls walking from Avalon to Ambridge. Police gave the girls, ages 17 and 11, a ride to Ambridge and released them to their aunt.

Two-car crash reported

No one was injured following a two-car crash June 2 in the 200 block of Broad Street. Police said Kimberly Bangor, 45, of Coraopolis, was stopped in her car waiting for a red light at the intersection of Broad and Route 65 when Catherine Murray’s vehicle hit Bangor’s car from behind. Murray, 44, of Gibsonia, told police her foot slipped off the brake and her car hit Bangor’s vehicle. Damage to both cars was minor, police said.

Suspended license

Police stopped a Chevrolet Blazer on Route 65 at 1:30 a.m. June 1 for a burned-out headlight and taillight. The driver, Eldwin Williams, 36, of Pittsburgh, was found to have a suspended driver’s license for failure to pay on a court judgment. Williams was cited and his vehicle was towed, police said.

Stolen bicycle reported

Police received a stolen-bicycle report from a Glen Osborne man on May 30. The man told police that  he and his son rode their bikes to the Memorial Day parade and parked the bikes in front of the old VFW building on Broad Street. After walking in the parade, the two returned to find the father’s bike missing. The bicycle is described as a 26-inch yellow Schwinn  with attachments on the frame used for connecting the bike onto a vehicle.  The bike also has high-style handles with a shift lever built in. A police search for the bicycle in the Sewickley area was unsuccessful.

Wedding theft

Police received a report May 28 of a theft at a wedding at church in Sewickley. One of the women from the wedding party told police that all the women involved in the wedding left their purses in the dressing room. During the wedding, police said, someone went through several of the purses and stole cash. Police determined that about $350 in cash was taken. Officers planned to check with church staff for leads on suspicious persons who may have been in the church during the wedding.