Around 1:00 am early Monday morning, Charleston police officers were dispatched to a disturbance at the 935 Club. They found Shawneda Jill Pennington sitting in the driver’s seat of her vehicle with several other people standing nearby. Police were determining which groups were involved in the disturbance and were talking with Pennington when an officer asked her to turn off her car. When the officer reached inside the vehicle to turn off the ignition, Pennington put the car in gear and accelerated, dragging the officer a short distance.
Police initiated a pursuit and observed Pennington running several red lights and stop signs, while reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour. Pennington briefly lost control of her vehicle at one intersection but managed to back up and continue her flight. She eventually pulled off the roadway in front of her house, jumped out of the vehicle and ran towards an officer with her fists clenched. Another officer hit her with pepper spray, and, after a brief struggle, Pennington was restrained on the trunk of her car.
Pennington was taken to the Charleston Police Station, where she submitted to a breath test and registered a blood alcohol content of .083%. She was booked on charges of driving under the influence in WV, fleeing while under the influence, driving with a suspended license from a prior West Virginia DUI, battery on an peace officer and obstruction. She was held on $2500 bond.
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