Woman charged with DUI-drug after school pickup in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — A local woman was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs after attempting to pick up her child from Elm Hill Elementary School, police said.

Springfield Police Department responded to a call from the school’s staff at approximately 3:05 p.m. on March 25, concerning a potentially intoxicated parent on the premises.

The parent, identified as Mary-Louise Fitzwater, exhibited several signs of impairment, according to the police.

Officers administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which further indicated impairment.

Sgt. King of the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, a certified Drug Recognition Expert, conducted an evaluation and recommended a blood test.

Fitzwater voluntarily provided a blood sample for toxicology analysis at the Vermont Forensic Laboratory.

Results from the laboratory confirmed the presence of an impairing substance in Fitzwater’s blood at the time of the incident.

Fitzwater reported to the Springfield Police Department for processing and was issued a criminal citation to appear in the Vermont Superior Court, Criminal Division, Windsor Unit, on June 25 at 8 a.m. to face charges of DUI-drug.