KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — A female Calhoun County Sheriff’s Deputy who was busted in Kalamazoo for driving drunk after she allegedly caused a collision on Douglas Avenue last month has been bound over to stand trial on August 5th.
32-year-old Noemi Garza has entered not-guilty pleas to four misdemeanors, including drunk driving, failure to stop at an accident, resisting officers and possession of a firearm while intoxicated. Court documents claim she admitted she had been drinking.
Her blood alcohol count was over twice the legal limit.
The Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area has had its fair share of alcohol related auto incidents and crashes involving women, some of them high profile women in responsible demanding jobs.
Portage Teacher Leslie Buscher and Portage schools administrator Denise Breeson both paid dearly for drunk driving arrests in 2011 and 2012.
Battle Creek Police Officer Jennifer Appl was charged with showing up for work under the influence one day.
Most recently, former Kalamazoo Asst. Prosecutor Paige Timmer was charged with causing an accident while she was allegedly under the influence. She goes on trial next month for a 5-year felony. She was fired as soon as the charge surfaced.
Recent research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Education shows that women are getting drunk more often, drinking more and paying the price.
In Michigan, the increase in binge drinking among women has increased 5 times faster in the last decade than it has with men, and heavy drinking has increased 9 times faster than men.
Spokesperson Jennifer Smith says women had a way to go to catch up to the men, but they are closing the gap.
The Michigan State Department of Health and Human Services says women are more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol because of their body size and how they metabolize alcohol.
They have many of the same risks of men, and a few they don’t: including sexual assault, breast cancer and harm to unborn babies.
