Intoxicated Woman Punches, Slaps Officer

RACINE, WI — Racine police broke the window of an uncooperative woman's car and pulled her from the vehicle only to have the woman punch and slap a police officer prior to her arrest.

On Aug. 4 just before 6 a.m. Racine police responded to the 1200 block of Highland Ave. in Racine on a report of a woman who was behind the steering wheel of a running car but was slumped over the wheel.

The woman, later identified as Marissa Martinez, appeared to officers as asleep behind the wheel. Officers attempted to wake her up for several minutes by knocking on the car and shaking it back and forth, police reported.

According to her criminal complaint, Martinez eventually woke up and appeared to be confused. She shut off the car, but refused to leave the vehicle and started the car up again. She rolled her window down, but as officers attempted to speak to her, she tried rolling it up again.

An officer stuck his baton in the window to prevent her from rolling up the window completely so officers could speak with her. As officers spoke with her, she stated she didn't have a license, and refused to identify herself, police reported.

After further fruitless attempts to speak with Martinez, an officer used his collapsible baton and broke the rear window of Martinez's car. The officer entered the car and noted the strong odor of intoxicants, her criminal complaint stated.

According to the criminal complaint, the officer attempted to reach for the front of the car, but Martinez turned around and punched him in the chest and slapped him. She braced herself in the car, which made it more difficult for officers to remove her from the vehicle.

According to the criminal complaint, she was placed in a police transport vehicle and was taken to Wheaton Franciscan for evaluation.

The criminal complaint stated that Martinez kicked the walls of the van during transit, and while at the hospital, staff needed to sedate her to quell her resistance.

Martinez, 23, has been charged with attempted battery of a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct.

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image via racine county jail