Charlotte woman charged with DWI after fleeing from traffic stop
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 13, 2024
SALISBURY — A Charlotte woman was arrested after police say she fled from an attempted traffic stop while intoxicated.
The incident began at approximately 12:40 a.m. on Saturday when a deputy noticed a dark-colored Honda Accord drive past him at between 85 and 90 mph, near the Peeler Road exit on Southbound Interstate 85, according to a spokesperson for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy then increased his own speed to 90 mph to pace the vehicle.
The deputy reportedly noticed that he was not catching up to the vehicle, so he turned on his lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the Honda. The Honda continued to drive, even increasing speed to 100 mph. The driver of the Honda allegedly switched lanes multiple times while the deputy followed them, using their turn signal each time.
As the Honda passed under the Lentz Road bridge, the vehicle began to slow down, eventually pulling over onto the side of the road.
Troopers with the N.C. State Highway Patrol responded to the deputy’s location to assist in the felony traffic stop. The driver, identified as 39-year-old Amira Yasmine Chandler, was arrested. During the arrest, the deputy noticed the smell of alcohol on Chandler’s breath, the spokesperson said.
The deputy and troopers then transported Chandler to the Salisbury Police Department, where they ran an Intoximeter test and determined that her blood alcohol content was 0.15 percent.
Chandler was then taken to the magistrate’s office, where she was charged by the sheriff’s office with felony flee to elude and speeding and charged by the highway patrol with driving while impaired. She was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center and give a $1,000 bond.