BEDFORD — A Bedford woman was arrested Thursday after police say she was intoxicated and causing disturbances at businesses along Brock Lane.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Officer J. Landon Jones, Debra S. Turpin, 59, was arrested on a preliminary charge of public intoxication.
Jones reported he was dispatched at about 1:46 p.m. Thursday to a business in the 3100 block of Brock Lane following a report of an unwanted woman who was allegedly acting strangely and possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
According to the affidavit, Jones arrived and recognized Turpin from previous interactions. Employees told the officer Turpin said she had become separated from her boyfriend while they were at a nearby movie theater.
Jones reported Turpin appeared visibly upset and said she was lost and unable to find her boyfriend. The officer drove her to the theater to help locate him.
While transporting Turpin, Jones reported detecting the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath and person. According to the affidavit, Turpin initially denied consuming alcohol but agreed to a preliminary breath test, which showed a result of 0.109% BrAC. Police said Turpin later acknowledged she had consumed alcoholic beverages earlier that morning.
The affidavit states Jones then spoke with the theater’s general manager, who reported Turpin had been causing disturbances before police arrived. According to the manager, Turpin was walking through the lobby asking for help locating her boyfriend, yelled profanity at him when he declined to assist, and entered multiple auditoriums, disrupting movie screenings while other patrons, including children, were present.
Turpin was taken into custody and transported to the Lawrence County Jail on the preliminary charge of public intoxication. Formal charges will be determined by the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office.
Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
