A woman who backed into a parked car after leaving the Mount Hope Variety store in Bangor on Tuesday was intoxicated and shouldn’t have been driving, according to police.

While investigating the minor motor vehicle accident, Officer Chris Desmond noted that motorist Teresa Hodges, 44, was swaying while she was standing talking to him and that there was a strong odor of alcohol on her breath. Desmond also reported that the Bangor woman’s speech was slurred and her eyes were watery and bloodshot.

Hodges admitted to drinking a beer about 45 minutes earlier. Desmond had her perform field sobriety tests during which she showed signs of intoxication, including swaying side to side during the instructions of one test and nearly falling over in another test.

After being arrested, Hodges also was given an Intoxilyzer test that registered her blood alcohol content at 0.18 percent, or more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

It likely will be a birthday a Milford woman won’t forget anytime soon.

Forty-five-year-old Janet Bagley was getting ready to leave the University Mall in Orono on Tuesday night, her birthday, at about 9:15 with two inflated celebratory balloons in the front seat. While still in the parking lot, the balloons distracted her enough that that she struck a light pole, reported Orono police Officer Wilfred King.

Bagley was not injured and there was no damage to the cement base of the light pole, although King estimated the damage to Bagley’s 2000 Buick at $1,300. Before Bagley leaving the scene, King made sure that the balloons were secure in the back seat.

A report of a domestic fight turned out to be a verbal argument, although the man involved was taken into custody when it was learned he was wanted on warrants.

There were three warrants issued for the arrest of Mark Hewitt, 41, who police found had been one half of the verbal fight, reported Bangor police Officer Chris Morley.

Officers talked with both sides and, convinced that no physical altercation had occurred, left, taking Hewitt with them after dispatch informed them of the warrants.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Doug Kesseli