WINONA, Minn. – There had been a report to police by telephone that a driver was weaving erratically. An officer spotted the car parked at the Fifth Street post office. There were three school kids in the car but not the driver. The officer went into the post office and there skipping her place in line was Irene Renee Burns, 32, of Winona. There were signs she wasn’t well, like slurred speech. She produced a driver license, but it had been revoked. What about the kids in the car? Yes, the officer explained: the 10-year-old, the 9-year-old and the 5-year-old. Burns said she had just picked them up at school. At the station house Burns was tested for the alcohol content in her blood: 0.08% — enough to charge her with being inimical to public safety. Too, there was a controlled substance and drug gear in the car. The day ended badly for Irene Renee Burns. She was booked into the county jail at 5:20 p.m. for at least the rest of the holiday weekend.
Burns. She racked up five counts involving bad driving, drugging, and having children aboard.