Tree? What Tree?: Illinois Woman Pulled Over Driving Against Traffic With A 15-Foot Tree Lodged In Car Grille

The Roselle (Ill.) police released this picture from a drunk driving arrest this week. The driver failed to stop after hitting a tree. Instead, the car was pulled over about 11:10 p.m. traveling the wrong way with a 15-foot-tree lodged in the front grille of the Lincoln.

The officer also found that the airbags had been deployed in the car. The police arrested Maryann Christy, 54, of Schaumburg. The officer said that Christy smelled of alcohol and failed field sobriety tests.

When some people questioned the authenticity of the photos, the police released the videotape below.

I am not sure what the best defense would be here. You can admit that you were drunk or you can argue that you were sober while driving with a 15-foot tree embedded in your grille. Neither is likely to work particularly well. I am assuming that any effort to claim that the tree hit her would be equally unavailing. I suppose she could argue that she always wanted a vintage looking woodie like the 1939 Zephyr but Lincoln no longer makes them. This was the cheapest option.