Woman found unconscious in running car in Warren
WARREN — A Cleveland woman pleaded not guilty to charges of operating a vehicle under the influence and child endangering after Warren police said they found her unconscious in a running car with a child in the back seat outside a McDonald’s restaurant.
Trista Vlasic, 35, waived her right to a speedy trial during a Monday arraignment before Warren Municipal Court Judge Natasha K. Natale. Her charges are felony child endangering and misdemeanor OVI charges, to which she pleaded not guilty, court records show.
She posted bond, which Natale set with a condition that Vlasic does not drive. Her next court appearance will be March 25.
According to a Warren Police Department report, officers responded to the McDonald’s at 595 South St. SE around 7:47 p.m. Sunday after an employee reported a woman slumped over in a parked car with a child. Police said the woman, the registered owner of the vehicle, had “pinpoint pupils” and slurred speech, and initially gave conflicting addresses in Warren and Cleveland.
Officers noted the car was running, and an unharmed child was secured in a backseat car seat. A field sobriety test indicated impairment, police said. Vlasic consented to a blood draw at a hospital, but later declined, according to the police report.
She was booked into Trumbull County jail and the child was released to an acquaintance of the woman.