Police: Drunk Driver Kicked Cops, Bit Hospital Staff
PORTER COUNTY, Ind. (STMW) -- When police confronted Donna Dankoff, 58, about whether she'd been in a hit-and-run, she reportedly kicked an officer in the groin and another in the head.
Police said she was taken to Porter Regional Hospital because of her extreme intoxication, and once there, she allegedly tried to strike and bite medical staff, according to the police report.
The Pleasant Township woman was arrested Friday morning on a long list of misdemeanor charges including drunken driving, leaving the scene of a crash and battery.
Police said Dankoff crashed into a street sign at the intersection of Baum's Bridge Road and County Road 150E, north of Kouts, then left her white 2013 Volkswagen Beetle stuck in the ditch and walked to her nearby home. A Porter County Highway Department employee discovered the car about 4:43 a.m., believed to be several hours after the crash.
When police arrived at Dankoff's home, her husband let officers inside but Dankoff, who had been sleeping, hid under the blankets. She admitted to being drunk and crashing the car but told officers to leave her alone, according to the report.
As they arrested her, police said, Dankoff swung her arms and kicked her legs, making contact with a Kouts officer's groin. Once in the squad car, police said, Dankoff kicked the vehicle's laptop computer, windshield and rearview mirror, before and after ankle restraints were put on her — at one point striking a Porter County officer in the forehead with her foot.
When she arrived at the jail, her alcohol level was measured at 0.36 percent. According to Indiana University's website, a level of 0.3 percent causes most people to lose consciousness, and 0.35 percent is considered the equivalent of surgical anesthesia.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
