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Charges: Woman Drove Drunk With 5 Kids In Car

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 40-year-old Rochester woman is accused of driving drunk with five kids in her car on Saturday, according to charges filed in Olmsted County Court.

Tasha Lynn Schleicher was charged with DWI in the incident, which happened Saturday afternoon on Highway 52 near Oronoco.

According to the charges, a Rochester police officer was heading southbound on Highway 52 at 3:42 p.m. Saturday when he observed a vehicle drift off the road and hit the center median cable barrier. The vehicle continued to sideswipe the barrier at highway speed for about 200 feet. Debris was coming off the vehicle and it caused other vehicles to swerve to avoid hitting it.

The complaint states the vehicle exited Highway 52 about five miles later at 75th Street NW. The vehicle pulled over to the shoulder and stopped. An officer made contact with the driver, identified as Schleicher. She appeared to be confused and under the influence of drugs or alcohol. An officer also observed she had started to breast feed her infant child.

Tasha Lynn Schleicher Olmsted County DWI
(credit: Olmsted County Sheriff's Office)

According to the complaint, Schleicher told police she didn't have a license, and officers noticed she smelled of alcohol. Officers also observed five kids in the car. When asked if she had consumed any alcohol that day, she denied. The officer had her get out of the car, and she was unsteady. She then admitted to drinking, but refused field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test.

She was arrested and later took a breath test. It revealed she had a blood alcohol content of .17, more than twice the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

A review of her criminal history shows three DWI convictions in the last 10 years. She was convicted of DWI in Wisconsin twice in 2008, and in Kentucky in 2009.

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