BURRILLVILLE – Burrillville police charged a Glocester woman with felony child endangerment after officers responding to reports of an erratic driver say they found her driving under the influence with her 13-year-old grandson in the car.
Joyce Willis, 62 of Glocester was arrested on Sunday, Feb. 26 in Burrillville. Willis was charged with DUI of liquor .15 or greater, a misdemeanor, along with child endangerment.
According to the arrest report, police were dispatched to the area of Reservoir Road and South Main Street around 6:30 p.m. for reports of an erratic driver who was traveling, “all over the road,” and had nearly crashed multiple times. Police spotted the vehicle described by the caller and began following Willis.
Willis’s car was observed crossing the yellow lines, and she did not immediately pull over for officers, according to the report, instead suddenly swerving and coming to a stop in front of Champ’s Liquors. She told police the swerving was caused by her grandson who has autism interfering with her driving.
An officer reportedly detected the odor of alcohol on Willis, along with other signs of impaired driving. In a search of the vehicle, police located two “nips,” including one that was empty. Willis later registered at .21 in a breathalyzer test.
In a statement, a witness reported watching Willis cross the white line on the road between eight and ten times, and noted she swayed off road, narrowly missing a telephone pole, and later a tree.
Willis is scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference in 6th District Court on Friday, April 7.
