Suspected Drunk Driver Drives Onto SMART Train Tracks

NORTH BAY, CA – Police arrested a woman suspected of drunk driving on Christmas Eve after she allegedly drove her car onto the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit train tracks.

On Sunday at about 6 p.m., officers responded to a report of a car that drove onto the SMART train tracks near Caulfield Lane and Hopper Street in Petaluma.

The car was reportedly stuck on the tracks, police said.

Officers contacted the driver and identified her as 70-year-old Petaluma resident Kathy Gilstrap. Officers determined that Gilstrap got onto the tracks at a nearby crossing and drove on the tracks for at least a few hundred yards.

Officers noticed that Gilstrap was showing signs of being under the influence of alcohol. After administering a field sobriety test, officers found that she had more than twice the legal alcohol limit.

Officers arrested Gilstrap on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and booked her into the Sonoma County Jail.

Police notified SMART train officials and sent employees to the scene to remove the vehicle from the tracks.

By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock