Mom Denies Being Drunk While Taking Kids From Daycare

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- A mother who was arrested after being accused of picking up her kids from daycare while drunk sharply denied the allegations, saying her arrest was the result of a misunderstanding that spiraled out of control.

A man called police Tuesday to report that another driver had hit his parked car near 18th Street and F Street but hadn't stopped, and when he followed her, he said he tracked her to a daycare center about a block away.

The other driver, Gina Stewart, said she hadn't hit any other car and was surprised when the man confronted her.

"He just kept pointing at marks on his car, and I was like, 'How did I do that?'" Stewart said. "That's when the argument ensued."

Stewart said she got her kids in the car when officers arrived and arrested her, but the Sacramento Police Department said Stewart drove away with her kids in the car and then came back to the daycare a few minutes later.

Stewrt said she drank two beers at lunch, several hours before the incident, but wasn't intoxicated when she picked up her kids. She said she believes officers mistakenly concluded she was under the influence due to how upset she was.

"I would never put them in danger. I love my kids very much," she said.

Stewart, who is a program analyst for the California Department of Corrections, is facing charges of hit and run, driving under the influence and child endangerment.