Woman’s BAC almost twice the legal limit in crash that killed Bridgeport police officer, girlfriend in Danbury: WARRANT

DANBURY, Conn. (WTNH) -- A woman charged with manslaughter in a crash that killed an off-duty Bridgeport police officer and his girlfriend in Danbury earlier this month had a blood alcohol content almost twice the legal limit, according to an arrest warrant obtained by News 8 Tuesday. Around 2:45 a.m. on July 13, 27-year-old Melissa Ramirez was allegedly driving a 2012 Jeep Compass northbound on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury when she veered left, crossing over the double yellow lines and crashing head-on into a Harley-Davidson. The motorcyclist, an off-duty Bridgeport Police Officer Cooper Whiteside, 38, and passenger Brittany Islami, 34, died at the scene, according to police. Ramirez also suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital. A toxicology report and blood and urine samples from her treatment at the hospital showed that she had a BAC of 0.14, which is nearly twice the legal limit in Connecticut. She also tested positive for cannabis, according to the arrest warrant. Preliminary investigation also determined that Ramirez was speeding. The Jeep had been traveling 63 mph before impact and 53 mph at impact, when the posted speed limit was 45 mph, according to the warrant. Ramirez was charged Friday with two counts of manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle and illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs and two other related charges. According to the arrest warrant, Ramirez told authorities she consumed one 12-ounce Corona beer around 11 p.m. When police asked her if she used any drugs or marijuana, she said she stopped smoking marijuana two months earlier, but then said she used marijuana on July 10. While speaking to Ramirez, the officer noticed her eyes were allegedly watery and bloodshot, and she had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her. Details surrounding the crash: When recounting the crash, Ramirez told authorities she was driving when she "felt such a hard impact" that she bit her tongue. When she looked down and saw blood, she panicked, the arrest warrant said. She told police all she remembers was driving and feeling the impact. According to the arrest warrant, the first thing she noticed was that her windshield was shattered and there was blood on her hands; she told police. She also added that she remained in the vehicle because her hips were hurting, so she called 911. She told authorities she had finished a 14-hour shift at a store in Stamford and was driving to Newtown, but she stopped by a friend's house in Norwalk for an hour before leaving again. Police said they noticed that her timeline appeared to be "inaccurate." The officer said that if she had left Stamford at 11 p.m., she should have arrived in Norwalk in less than 30 minutes, depending on her actual departure and arrival locations, and if she had been with her friend only an hour, she should have been passing the area of the crash around 1 a.m., according to the arrest warrant. An empty glass bottle of Corona beer was found in the trunk of the Jeep as well as a THC vape cartridge, the affidavit said. Additionally, it appeared that the Corona beer had allegedly spilled during the crash all over the rear passenger area of the Jeep, the arrest warrant said. According to the arrest warrant, there was no evidence indicating an evasive maneuver by the Jeep before the area of impact, and there were allegedly no yaw marks or indication of braking. Witness recounts crash: The witness told police that the motorcycle was traveling behind them while they were going southbound in the rightmost lane, and the motorcycle began to pass them using the leftmost southbound lane. The witness said they believed that although they did not see exactly how the crash occurred, they believed a northbound vehicle crossed the double yellow line and crashed head-on into the motorcycle. The witness said the motorcycle was alongside his front driver's side when the crash occurred. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Whiteside and Islami's autopsy determined they both died of blunt force trauma sustained during the crash. Ramirez's cash/surety bond was set at $500,000, which she did not post. She appeared in court on Monday.