13-year-old girl arrested for driving SUV

A 13-year-old girl driving an SUV was arrested this morning for driving without a license while two drunk teenagers were in the vehicle.

Columbus police received a report of a suspected drunk driver when an officer noticed an SUV hit the curb while pulling into a subdivision on Taylor Road near County Road 300N at about 3:40 a.m. As the officer approached the car, she noticed the driver switch places with a passenger. The 17-year-old boy now in the driver’s seat appeared intoxicated and a portable breath test revealed a blood alcohol level of .08 percent according to Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department.

An 18-year-old passenger in the back seat, Joseph R. Chasteen of Taylorsville, was also allegedly intoxicated and had a blood alcohol level of .17 percent.

The 13-year-old driver passed a breath test but was taken into custody on preliminary charges of operating a motor vehicle without a license. Two passengers were released to their parents, Harris said.