St. Joseph city commissioner charged with OWI following car crash

City of St. Joseph: Tess Ulrey

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- A St. Joseph city commissioner is facing an OWI charge following a single-vehicle crash on the evening of Oct. 3.

The Berrien County Prosecutor's Office confirmed 38-year-old Tess Ulrey has been charged with one count of Operating While Intoxicated.

Ulrey's pre-trial conference is scheduled for Nov. 19.

According to the report from the St. Joseph Department of Public Safety, an officer responded to the 1400 block Morton Avenue around 11:44 p.m., on Oct. 3, regarding a car crash.

Authorities say they arrived to find Ulrey outside of her vehicle.

The report states the responding officer asked Ulrey what happened, to which she responded she was moving her car back to her residence to park there for work in the morning.

Police asked if she had hit the other vehicle, to which she said she didn't think so.

The officer on scene noted damages to Ulrey's vehicle and a parked vehicle.

Police say Ulrey was the sole person near the vehicle.

Ulrey's car was still running, and she allowed the officer to shut it off and retrieve her car keys.

The report states the officer could smell a strong odor of intoxicating substances from Ulrey and her breath. The officer also noted her eyes as being bloodshot and glossy.

Ulrey reportedly told the officer she'd had about one or two beers with her last one having been around an hour prior to this incident.

Police conducted standardized field sobriety testing on Ulrey before she was subsequentially arrested.

Ulrey's preliminary breathalyzer test showed a BAC of .14.

Her vehicle was towed and she was taken to Berrien County Jail.

Her bond was set at $100.

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