Lower Burrell woman held for court in West Deer drunken-driving crash

A Lower Burrell woman was held for court on felony charges of child endangerment in connection with a January crash. Police said she drove her vehicle with two children as passengers while her blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

Kierra Cooper, 24, was charged after a two-vehicle crash Jan. 22 along Little Deer Creek Valley Road in West Deer. A blood draw showed her alcohol content level to be 0.29%, according to police.

Her preliminary hearing was Wednesday before District Judge Tom Swan, where she also faced two counts of driving under the influence.

Cooper is scheduled for arraignment at 10 a.m. May 6.

Police were called about 9 p.m. to the crash near Palmer’s Drug Store, where a Chevy Silverado was hit from behind by a Chevy Cruze driven by Cooper. Both vehicles had extensive damage, including broken axles and bent frames, according to police.

There were no injuries reported.

Another adult and two children were inside Cooper’s vehicle.

Police said Cooper was slurring her speech when she told them a third vehicle had struck her from behind, causing the chain-reaction crash. There was no evidence to support the presence of a third vehicle, according to court papers.

Cooper told police she consumed two drinks about three hours before driving, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said they found three small bottles of Long Island Iced Tea and a bottle of vodka, all empty, in Cooper’s car. She told police they were old, according to court papers.

Cooper first refused the field sobriety test ordered by police but later consented. She could not complete the one-leg test or the walk and turn test, according to police.