An El Paso mother previously convicted on a drunken driving charge was arrested again on suspicion of driving while intoxicated as she drove with her 2-year-old and 4-month-old daughters in her car, authorities said.
Deputies arrested Cristina Zeigler, 30, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years old at about 12:45 a.m. on April 26, during a traffic stop in the 900 block of Talbot Avenue in Canutillo, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Priscilla I. Contreras said in a news release.
Attorney Luis Yanez, who is listed as Zeigler’s attorney, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Zeigler allegedly had a blood alcohol level of more than 0.14 as she drove with her 2-year-old and 4-month-old daughters in her car, a complaint affidavit states. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08.
El Paso deputies find toddler, baby inside car
A deputy saw Zeigler driving a white Dodge Durango without license plate lights and conducted a traffic stop, the affidavit states. Zeigler pulled into the parking lot of the Outlet Shoppes at El Paso.
Zeigler allegedly showed “multiple signs of impairment,” the news release states. The deputy asked for Zeigler’s driver license and insurance. She provided her driver license, but told the deputy her proof of insurance was on her phone.
She allegedly started looking for her phone, but couldn’t find it. The deputy told Zeigler that her cell phone was on a cell phone mount in front of her, the affidavit states.
A deputy noted in the affidavit that Zeigler had “bloodshot glossy eyes and an odor of unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from the inside of the vehicle.”
Zeigler told the deputy she had just left a quinceañera in Anthony and denied drinking any alcohol, the affidavit states.
The deputy saw Zeigler’s two children — a 2-year-old toddler and a 4-month-old baby — each in individual safety seats in the back of the SUV.
Zeigler allegedly failed a field sobriety test. She was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and placed into the back of a sheriff’s patrol unit. The affidavit does not state where the children were taken.
The deputies took Zeigler to the sheriff’s office’s Northwest Patrol Station, where she agreed to do a breathalyzer test.
Zeigler allegedly blew a 0.145 blood alcohol level. She blew a 0.142 on her second test, the affidavit states.
An investigation revealed Zeigler was previously arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in 2021. She pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to a year of community service in 2022.
“Driving while intoxicated is unacceptable,” El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said in a statement. “Our deputies will continue to take action to keep impaired drivers off the road and ensure the safety of our community.”
Zeigler was booked into the El Paso County Jail on April 26 on a $5,000 bond. She was released from jail the same day after posting bail.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso mom arrested on DWI charge allegedly had toddler, baby in car
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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