Woman Asleep, Allegedly Drunk Behind Wheel at Braintree Gas Station With Baby in Car

A 25-year-old Norfolk woman was combative with Braintree police attempting to arrest her after a gas station attendant allegedly found her drunk and asleep behind the wheel of her car with an eight-month-old baby in the backseat.

Michelle C. Cherella was arrested at gas station on Union Street on Sunday, March 4 and was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, child endangerment while under the influence of alcohol, resisting arrest and drinking from an open container of alcohol while driving, Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said in a statement.

When an attendant at the gas station went to check on Cherella after she had been sitting in her car at the pump for 45 minutes, he found her asleep behind the wheel and also discovered the baby in a car seat in the back.

"After arriving officers woke Cherella, they observed signs of possible intoxication, along with an unopened can of beer in the center console, two empty wine bottles on the floor and three empty beer cans under the center console that appeared to have been recently drank from," Jenkins said.

Cherella failed her first sobriety test and would not continue, then became aggressive with the officers, Jenkins said, pulling her hands away, pushing the officers and refusing to be put in the cruiser.

"Cherella was eventually transported to the police station in a prisoner wagon where she agreed to take a breath test and recorded a reading four
times the legal limit" of 0.08 percent, Jenkins said. "The infant was brought to the police station where officers cared for her and ultimately united her with her grandfather."