A vehicle leaving 7-Eleven drives on the wrong side of the road and then onto the sidewalk

By Travis Uresk

7/21/23

Vernal, Ut.~On 7/8/23, a Hyundai Elantra was at the 7-Eleven at 100 North Vernal Avenue and left the South parking lot toward 100 North. The vehicle began driving on the wrong side of the road and then onto the sidewalk.

The vehicle passed by Officer O'Donnal at 100 North 100 West, who was watching the vehicle leave 7-Eleven. The vehicle turned right, heading North on 100 West, when Officer O'Donnal activated his emergency red and blue lights.

The Hyundai continued slowly North, quickly pulled off to the right with another vehicle, and stopped briefly. When the Officer got behind the Hyundai, the driver pulled back onto the road traveling North on 100 West. The vehicle then turned left onto 300 North and continued driving to the entrance of the Aspen Park Apartments and stopped.

The driver got out of the vehicle and began walking toward an apartment, and the Officer then placed her in handcuffs. Officer O’Donnal could smell the odor of alcohol coming from the driver.

The driver was identified as 49-year-old Cassandra Sherman and learned her driver's license had been revoked, there was no insurance on the vehicle, and she had two state-wide warrants out for her arrest.

Cassandra was transported to the Uintah County Jail, where she submitted to a breath test and was asked if she was willing to submit to the field sobriety tests. She kept telling the Officer to go off the portable breath test she had done by the Jailers. Cassandra blew a 0.148.

Cassandra was worried about the walking tests because she had recently broken some of her toes last week. The field sobriety tests were conducted but stopped early due to the complaints of her injuries.

While speaking with the passenger who was with Cassandra, the passenger stated she thought Cassandra was going to park in the parking lot across the road and then started driving down the sidewalk.

The passenger asked Cassandra what she was doing, and she replied, "I don't know."

The passenger said she saw the police turn on the lights, and Cassandra wasn't pulling over, she told Cassandra to pull over, and Cassandra said, "She can't. I don't have a license."

The passenger told her, "You have to pull over. You can't avoid them."

Cassandra then pulled over but then began to accelerate quickly. She told Cassandra to stop and pull over. The passenger said she thought about jumping out of the vehicle because she didn't want to get into trouble.