Drunk driver opts for diversion program

A 27-year-old Minden woman was accepted Monday into a diversion program that keeps felony drunk drivers out of prison.

District Judge Michael Gibbons allowed Jasmine Coty to participate in the 3-5-year program that includes six months house attest and intensive counseling at her own expense.

She may not drive without a valid license and insurance, and must install a device for one year that disables her vehicle if she has been drinking.

Coty said she'd been walking 1-1/2 hour each way to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the Gardnerville Ranchos but recently obtained a bicycle.

Coty was on probation for a second DUI at Lake Tahoe when she was arrested after a Feb. 8 accident in the parking lot of a Minden convenience store.

She had a .19 blood-alcohol content, more than twice the legal limit of .08 for driving in Nevada.

According to court documents, Coty has prior convictions for DUI on June 6, 2007, and July 24, 2006.