A 24-year-old Stafford woman’s driving behaviors earned her a traffic stop; however, the alcohol next to her child earned her a felony charge.

On August 27th at approximately 3:31 a.m. Sergeant B.U. Demirci was traveling North on I-95 and, once again, happened to observe the vehicle in front of him failing to maintain the lane of travel. He continued observing the swerving vehicle as it exited onto Centreport Parkway, and eventually Richmond Highway. Having seen more than enough, Sergeant Demirci conducted a traffic stop as Deputy S.A. Fulford responded to assist.

Within the vehicle was not only the driver, identified as Silvia Herrera Hernandez, but a two-year-old child. Hernandez admitted to consuming alcohol, which was apparent by her glassy, bloodshot eyes, and odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her mouth. The vehicle itself had multiple cans of alcohol within it, opened and unopened, some of which was located under the child’s feet.

Hernandez was charged with driving under the influence with a child, failure to maintain control of her vehicle, and felony child endangerment. She was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Child Protective Services was contacted, and the child was turned over to a responsible party.