An Ocala woman was arrested last week on DUI charges after a one-car crash that sent her passenger to the hospital.
Janis Eltheda Mancini, 50, of 329 NE 8th Ave., was charged with DUI with personal injury to another and DUI with property damage after the crash, which happened last Thursday shortly before 2 a.m. on NE 10th Street, just east of North Magnolia Avenue.
Mancini was traveling west in a white 2003 Hyundai on NE 10th Street, approaching the railroad tracks, when she failed to maintain a single lane and moved to the left, striking the railroad crossing arm pole in the median. The impact caused significant damage to the front of the vehicle and caused the pole to be ripped from the asphalt, according to the Ocala Police report.
A woman in the front passenger seat struck the windshield and suffered significant injuries to her face. She was taken to a local hospital, according to the report.
When first contacted by the investigating officer, Mancini was standing against the rear of the vehicle. She spontaneously stated she had been drinking and was impaired. The officer could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from her that was made stronger each time she spoke. Mancini also was slurring her words as she spoke and had a seatbelt abrasion on her left shoulder, indicating she was the driver, according to the report.
Mancini was unable to complete field sobriety tests due to her condition and was arrested. She was taken to the Marion County Jail, where a breathalyzer recorded blood-alcohol levels of .224 and .205, which are more than twice the legal limit.
Mancini told the officer she had been drinking for several hours at Charlie Horse Restaurant, located at 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd. Mancini also said she and her passenger had a bottle of hard liquor that they were drinking prior to and on their way to the bar, according to the report.
Mancini was released Sunday on $2,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on April 17.