A 40-year-old Stafford woman collided with a parked vehicle after deciding to get behind the wheel drunk with children in the vehicle.

On April 17th, at approximately 12:43 a.m., Deputy C.A. Osborne responded to Little Oak Road for an auto accident. It was advised a BMW smashed into an unoccupied parked Volkswagen.

Deputy Osborne made contact with the BMW driver, identified as Lidia Cruz. Cruz advised her “distracted” driving caused the crash. While investigating, Deputy Osborne noticed she had signs of intoxication, including the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath. Cruz would admit to consuming tequila prior to driving and alcoholic containers were located within the vehicle. The two children inside the BMW at the time of the crash were evaluated by Fire and Rescue staff and eventually released to a responsible party.

Cruz had two prior DUI convictions within the last ten years. She was charged with third offense driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content between .15 and .2, as well as, two counts of child neglect. She was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.