Police on Wednesday arrested two women on charges of driving while intoxicated after they allegedly hit a pedestrian on Foster Avenue and tried to switch seats during a traffic stop.
Juneau residents Sharon Ann Marie Harris, 25, and Sheryl Lorraine E Shorty, 23, were both arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol after they failed field sobriety tests Wednesday night, according to a police information release. Both women were riding in the same car, and during a traffic stop, the arresting officer noticed that they switched places, resulting in DWI charges for each woman.
Police said that Harris, the driver at the time of the traffic stop, was in possession of a loaded concealed firearm. She was also charged with misconduct involving a weapon in the fourth and fifth degree and driving without a license.
At about a quarter to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, a man reported to the Juneau Police Department that he had been hit by a station wagon on Foster Avenue in Douglas. The man, whom police spokesperson Lt. David Campbell said “appears to be OK,” reported that the vehicle had a burned out taillight and was damaged from hitting him.
A police officer spotted a vehicle matching the man’s description exiting the Douglas Bridge. When he pulled the vehicle over near the Merchants Wharf on Egan Drive, he noticed Harris switched places with Shorty. After both women failed sobriety tests, the officer arrested them and took them to the Lemon Creek Correction Center, where they both reportedly failed breath-alcohol tests.
Neither woman has been charged with a crime for actually hitting the pedestrian, but such charges could be forthcoming, according to Campbell.
“It’s quite possible other charges could be be coming down the pike based on their actions,” Campbell told the Empire in a phone interview Friday morning.
That choice will likely be up to the district attorney. The man who reported being hit by Harris and Shorty declined medical services after the accident.
• Contact reporter Sam DeGrave at 523-2279 or sam.degrave@juneauempire.com.
