Driver Knocks Out Power At Apartment Complex After Fleeing Police

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A driver fleeing police knocked out the power for half of the residents at the Silver Collection Apartment Complex in Fredericksburg for several hours on Saturday, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department.

The driver, identified as Cherie Cotton, 38, of Fredericksburg, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, destruction of property, eluding, hit-and-run, and reckless driving on private property. Cotton is incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond, police said.

At about 4 a.m. on Saturday, police received a report of a possible drunk driver in the 1300 block of Ashford Circle. A police officer located a Buick Century with a flat tire and its engine running.

The officer attempted to get the driver to exit the vehicle. After ignoring the officer’s commands, the driver fled the scene in her car, leading to a police pursuit. The driver then crashed her Buick through the Silver Collection Apartment Complex entrance gate and drove through a section of fence.

The driver then drove across Hospitality Lane and into the fence section in front of Ashford Circle before colliding head-on with a transformer box, police said.