Backseat Driver Faces DUI Charge in Virginia

A backseat passenger in a car that ran off the road and crashed in Bedford County was charged with driving under the influence.

While rare, a DUI charge filed against a passenger is not unprecedented in Virginia.

The Roanoke Times reported that this incident involved 23-year-old Brandi Snow Williams. She and four others were hospitalized last month after their vehicle ran off Virginia 24 and flipped.

The Roanoke woman was charged with misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving after a passenger said she grabbed the steering wheel, causing the crash.

Ten years ago, the Court of Appeals of Virginia upheld a guilty verdict of a man who grabbed the wheel of a relative's car while he was drunk.

Williams has a March court date.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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