Woman charged with DUI after car struck portable stop sign: police

RIVERSIDE - A Riverside woman was charged Wednesday with with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, improper lane usage and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash after reportedly striking a stop sign.

Wanda Woolf, 60, struck a portable pedestrian stop sign near East Burlington Street near Longcommon Road at about 4:37 p.m., according to a Riverside Police Department news release.

A police officer parked at Longcommon Road and Pine Avenue saw a 2014 Subaru SUV turn left from East Burlington Street onto Longcommon Road.

As the driver turned left, the car hit the portable pedestrian stop sign, which was located in the middle of the street near a crosswalk. The car continued to cross the Longcommon Road railroad crossing, then turned east onto Quincy Street.

Police made a traffic stop in the 100 block of East Quincy Street.

Woolf opened her door after she stopped, but did not exit.The officer walked up to the door and could immediately smell a strong odor of alcohol on the breath of the driver, according to the release.

When asked for her driver's license and insurance, Woolf appeared to be confused, fumbled through her wallet and was unable to produce either. She voluntarily told the officer that she was on numerous prescription medicines and had been drinking, the release stated.

Police conducted the standard roadside field testing, and Woolf failed all DUI testing and was arrested. Once in police custody, Woolf said she had been drinking before driving. When asked if she believed she was intoxicated or if she had hit a street sign, she said, "I don't know."

“This offender struck the pedestrian sign in the middle of the street in the center of town at Longcommon Road and East Burlington Street,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement. “The sign is there to protect pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the street. She struck the sign head on, continued across the crosswalk and the railroad tracks. Considering it was 4:30 in the afternoon, it’s fortunate there were no pedestrians, children, or bicyclists injured by her reckless actions. For that, I’m thankful.”