School worker denies hitting cop while drunk in Rhode Island

A school committee member from Rhode Island has pleaded not guilty after being accused of hitting a cop while drunk, according to WJAR.

WPRI reported police stopped Karen Bachus while she was driving erratically around Warwick's city hall area, performed a field sobriety test, then took her to headquarters where she allegedly struck an officer trying to administer a Breathalyzer.

"Bachus had 'glossy and bloodshot eyes' and the officer also 'detected the odor of an alcohol beverage emanating from her breath as she spoke,' according to the report. When asked if she had consumed any alcohol before driving, Bachus told police she had two drinks, indicating they were wine," wrote Alexandra Leslie.

"Police said when Bachus exited the vehicle, she told them she had a number of medical problems. She also informed the officer multiple times — without being asked — that she was a 'state worker.'"

After Bachus was unsteady and fell over during the field sobriety test, she initially claimed she "might be DUI" but then refused a Breathalyzer test, said that someone was "screwing with [her]," and reiterated she was a government employee. Police cuffed her and took her to the station. During the ride, she allegedly slipped from the cuffs and refused orders to comply.

"At the police station, police said Bachus slipped out of the handcuffs again and continued to be confrontational. When asked to consent to the breathalyzer test, Bachus stated 'I’m not doing that' and 'I’m not signing anything,'" said the report. "'Bachus then balled her right hand into a fist, raised it above her shoulder, and struck me in the left arm just below my elbow,' an officer wrote in the arrest report. 'When she did this, it caused soreness in my left arm at the area of impact.'"

This comes after another report this week that Jerry Scanlan, a county GOP chair in New Jersey with a history of racist and Islamophobic social media posts, was arrested after crashing into a stationary car at an intersection with a blood alcohol nearly double the legal limit.