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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Police say A 27-year-old mother already has three arrests for driving under the influence on her record, and could now face a fourth.
Just before midnight on July 3, a Cottonwood Heights police officer pulled over Danielle Marie Lucero for a broken headlight near Fort Union and 1300 East.
"When he spoke to the driver, he realized that there may be a good chance she was intoxicated," said Cottonwood Heights Sgt. Mark Askerlund.
Smelling alcohol on Lucero's breath, the officer put her through some field sobriety tests, which she failed.
Her two children, who were in the car with her at the time, were taken out of her custody and placed with a family member, police said.
It's very alarming. And then you put a 3- year-old and a 6-year-old in the car with her, and that of course makes it all the more egregious.
–Sgt. Mark Askerlund, Cottonwood Heights
"It's very alarming. And then you put a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old in the car with her, and that of course makes it all the more egregious," Askerlund said.
Lucero has been convicted of driving under the influence two times, and was arrested on suspicion of the charge in September. She is required to have an interlock device in her car, but police said she did not have one in the vehicle she was driving Wednesday.
She was not arrested, but police said she could face several charges in the coming days. Cottonwood Heights police said they wanted to keep their officers on the streets, watching for other potential DUI cases this holiday weekend, so they gave her a citation.
Lucero will still have to face a judge next week for those potential charges, and could head to jail at that time.
"Whether she loses her driving privileges altogether is of course up to the judge," Askerlund said.
