Posted Monday, December 10, 2012 --- 10:17 a.m.

Incident Report from the Madison Police Department:

Incident Type: Intoxicated Driver

Incident Date: 12/09/2012 - 12:59 AM

Address: N. Mills St. @ W. Johnson St.

Arrested: Kelly M. Rodger, age 26, Madison
Ms. Rodger was arrested for Operating a Motor Vehicle While Under the Influence - 2nd offense, Speeding, Failure to Stop for Flashing Red Light, Resist Officer/Fail to Stop for Officer.

Details: When an arresting officer asked an intoxicated driver why she had tried to get away from police, the 26-year old woman responded: “The cops were behind me." It was a case where judgment and vision were both likely impaired, and not just because of drinking. The MPD had initially tried to pull the driver over for speeding in the 700 block of Regent St. early Sunday morning.

The suspect pulled into a restaurant parking lot, but instead of stopping, she gunned the engine and drove over a curbed embankment, separating the parking area from an adjacent lot. The motorist next hopped a curb onto S. Mills St. She drove through a flashing red light Dayton St. before coming to a stop at the intersection with Johnson St. As officers approached, they could see the driver's attempts at evasion had somehow triggered side airbags to deploy. It was difficult for officers to see into the car, and likely equally tough for the driver to see out. One officer reached past an airbag and pulled the driver out. A preliminary breath test put her blood alcohol content at .21.