Uber driver accused of being drunk while picking up passengers from bar

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – An Uber driver was arrested on suspicion of DWI after picking up passengers from a Montgomery County bar early Thursday morning, according to deputies with the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable's Office.

Elizabeth Warren was arrested and charged with DWI, authorities said.

Deputies said they pulled over Warren's vehicle around 1:30 a.m. after she picked up three passengers from the Golden Retriever Pub on FM 1488.

"They (passengers) were making the right decision by calling Uber, (but) unfortunately, this lady showed up and she had been drinking herself," Constable Chris Jones said.

Warren's 2012 Volkswagen was seen drifting out of its lane multiple times and was also speeding, according to authorities.

Deputies said that, when she was pulled over, Warren identified herself and told deputies she was an Uber driver.

"She identified herself as an Uber driver saying she was picking up customers," Jones said.

A strong smell of alcohol was coming from Warren's breath, according to deputies, so they asked her to get out of the vehicle.

"He asked her if she had been drinking. She said no, but he could smell it, even after getting her out of the vehicle, he could smell a strong odor of alcohol," Jones said.

Deputies said that, after she performed poorly on sobriety tests, she became uncooperative and told the deputies to put her in jail.

"Finally, when it was all said and done, she was, like, 'Well, just take me to jail then,'" Jones said.

Warren refused to submit a blood draw so a warrant was secured and a sample of her blood was taken, deputies said.

Uber said Warren's access to the app was removed.

She was taken to the Montgomery County Jail.

This is Uber's no-alcohol/drug policy

  • Uber has a strict no-alcohol/drug policy on the app. Here's our Community Guidelines making that clear. (All drivers commit to that when they sign up to drive and sign the partner agreement).
  • Our screening checks Motor Vehicle Records for DUI and alcohol-related incidents and if those issues are found in the last seven years, the driver is rejected.
  • We also have a 24/7 incident response team that constantly monitors all feedback and takes action in real-time as appropriate.

Uber issued this statement on the incident:

"Uber has a zero-tolerance policy for the use of drugs and alcohol. Upon learning of this report, we immediately removed the driver's access to the app.”