Alert elementary school staff members are being credited with getting an Eden Prairie mother off the road after she showed up extremely drunk when dropping off her two children one morning last week.
Minnetonka police said Wednesday they pulled over Kelly A. Belanger about 8:15 a.m. Friday within a block of Scenic Heights School and gave her a preliminary breath test that measured her blood alcohol content at 0.23 percent, nearly three times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.
Belanger, 55, was jailed and cited on suspicion of drunken driving, specifically a count related to child endangerment. Contacted by phone Wednesday, Belanger declined to comment about her arrest.
Police Chief Jeff Sebenaler said Belanger "interacted with some of the personnel at the school" after she drove more than 2 miles from her home. "She appeared to be intoxicated, " the chief added.
School staff called police, who soon caught up to Belanger. "She provided the [breath] test, but I don't think she was real pleasant with officers," the chief said.
Sebenaler said those who contacted police "need to be given credit for doing the right thing, especially at a school. A lot can go on there."
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
