Police: Woman mistook officer for carhop

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Police in Tennessee said a woman arrested on a charge of driving under the influence apparently mistook an officer for a server at a Sonic Drive-In.

Investigators said a 911 caller Saturday reported a woman slumped over a steering wheel was driving out of Ingle's Market in Elizabethton and nearly striking several vehicles, the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press reported Friday.

An officer approached the car after it pulled into a parking space at the nearby Sonic Drive-In and found the driver asleep, police said. The woman woke up and attempted to hand the officer a $20 bill and continued to attempt to hand over the money despite the officer's protests that she was not a Sonic employee. The officer said the woman did not seem to realize she was being addressed by a police officer.

The officer arrested the woman and discovered a used syringe, a spoon with white powdery residue and numerous bottles of prescription medicine in the car, police said.

Veletta Cuba Newman, 31, was charged with second offense driving under the influence and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. She was jailed on $1,000 bond.