A driver who was found asleep behind the wheel of her vehicle after hitting a headstone in a cemetery was arrested and is facing a charge of OVWI.

Lisa Marie Salo-Metz, 62, Jasonville, was arrested by Officer Alan Jackson of the Linton Police Department on Tuesday night, November 30.

Around 5:30 that Tuesday, Officer Jackson responded to County Road 1175 West and CR 300 North in the area of Fairview Cemetery, Linton, where a driver was reported to be passed out behind the wheel of a maroon 2005 Pontiac G6 that was in the roadway with a flat tire and the motor running.

Salo-Metz was the driver. Officer Jackson reported when he arrived, she was passed out in the driver’s seat with her head down and chin on her chest. After knocking on the window and yelling, she woke up and shut the vehicle off. The front tire on the driver’s side was flat with a rub mark on the tire.

According to the police report, Salo-Metz was confused about where she had been and where she was going and she stumbled after getting out of the vehicle. She allegedly exhibited several signs of being under the influence of something – she had slurred speech, her balance was poor and she had to lean against the vehicle to steady herself. She denied drinking or taking any illegal drugs but did say she had taken a dose of a prescription medication (not a controlled substance) before she left home.

When her vehicle was inventoried, officers reported finding a gray metal smoking device and a burnt hand-rolled cigarette that contained green plant material.

Salo-Metz was transported to the Linton Police Department where results of standard field sobriety testing were mixed. She refused a chemical test so a warrant was issued for a blood draw that was obtained at Greene County General – results pending.

Salo-Metz was arrested and transported to the Greene County Jail where she was booked in at 8:34 p.m.

When asked if she had hit something, that caused the flat tire, Salo-Metz first said maybe she had but on the way to the jail, she allegedly admitted the damage was caused when she hit a headstone in the cemetery. She said she did not hit it intentionally. When asked why she didn’t report it, she said she didn’t know she was supposed to.

Salo-Metz’s bond was set at $5,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. She has since posted $500 and been released from custody.

She is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court on December 16 for her initial hearing on charges of:

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor,

• Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.