Portsmouth woman facing DUI charges after reportedly having two young children in vehicle

A local woman is facing charges after an incident that took place over the weekend.

According to police, on Saturday, at approximately 6:20 p.m., 44-year-old Heather Joseph from Portsmouth, RI, was arrested by the Portsmouth Police Department for allegedly operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor or drugs with children under the age of 13 as passengers. 

Portsmouth Police officers were responding to an emergency call for service in the area of Burma Road with their emergency lights and sirens activated. During this response to an unrelated emergency, they observed a silver Honda Odyssey traveling ahead of them southbound in the same direction. The vehicle did not slow down and did not pull over to the right portion of the roadway.  The officers made attempts to get the attention of the driver by changing the siren tones emanating from their cruiser. The driver still did not pull over and continued operating at the same speed. 

After approximately 3/4 of a mile, the driver finally pulled their vehicle over to the side of the roadway. Officers approached and found that the operator, identified as Joseph, exhibited multiple signs of alcohol impairment to include the strong odor of alcohol emanating from her breath. The vehicle had three passengers including one adult and two minor children, ages 6 and 9. Joseph submitted to a series of standardized field sobriety testing and at the conclusion of the testing was placed under arrest for suspicion of D.U.I. 

After transport to headquarters, Joseph refused to submit to a chemical breath test and was issued a R.I. Traffic Tribunal citation for the following offenses: Refusal to submit to a chemical breath test; Failure to yield to emergency vehicles; Failure to yield ROW. 

Joseph will be formally arraigned at the 2nd Division District Court on June 6, 2024.