CLEARFIELD – A State College woman has been accused of driving under the influence of a controlled substance with her child in her vehicle.
Dawn N. Irey, 27, has been charged by Officer Devin Gill of the Lawrence Township police with misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of children, DUI/controlled substance, marijuana/small amount personal use and use/possession of drug paraphernalia, plus one summary.
Irey waived her right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday during centralized court at the Clearfield County Jail. Her bail is currently set at $10,000 monetary.
These charges stem from an incident that occurred at 4:38 a.m. March 7 at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, Clearfield, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed with the office of Magisterial District Judge Mike Morris.
Irey called Clearfield County 911 for help because someone had threatened to blow up her car. On-scene, Irey was found with her one-year-old child; she spoke fast, was nervous and jittery and couldn’t focus, police said.
She told officers she “heard voices” telling her that they were going to “blow that [expletive] up and her car.” She said she heard them inside her car, so she exited, entered the store and called police for help.
Officers found Irey’s story didn’t make any sense and began to think she was hallucinating. During the encounter, Irey said she heard voices and was told by police there wasn’t anyone talking to her.
Irey was asked how she got to Wal-Mart and said she drove there. She was asked if she was on any medications to which she indicated she’d recently discontinued using Zoloft for anxiety.
When asked about controlled substances, she allegedly admitted to having used marijuana earlier that day. Due to her demeanor and symptoms, police asked about methamphetamine use and she said she’d never used it.
Officer Zachary Cowan asked Irey to tilt her head back, so that he could check her nasal passage. He reportedly observed intact crystals in her left nostril and a deep red color; Irey then told officers she’d use meth the day before.
A search of Irey’s purse turned up a marijuana grinder containing a small amount of marijuana and one small package of screens, which are commonly used for consumption of the drug, according to the affidavit.
Officers opted not to have Irey perform field sobriety tests due to her “hallucinations, actions and for safety reasons,” noting “it was apparent she was highly under the influence.”
Cowan contacted the county’s Children & Youth Services Department, which requested a relative be contacted to take custody of Irey’s child. The relative also took Irey’s vehicle.
Irey was subsequently transported to the Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital for a legal blood draw, then to county jail due to being under the influence.