Cops: Drunk crashed Grand Junction runway

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado — A Fruita woman was arrested for drunk driving after allegedly cruising the runway of Grand Junction Regional Airport early Sunday.

Jamie Bowden, 36, was arrested just after 3 a.m. after her car had become stuck near the runway.

A Grand Junction police officer found Bowden sitting in the passenger seat of her car after she allegedly ignored the officer’s initial commands to put the car in park and turn the engine off.

“The vehicle was high-centered on electrical conduits and the wheels spun as she applied the accelerator,” the officer wrote in an arrest affidavit.

The arrest affidavit doesn’t specify how she managed to get on the airport property.

Rex Tippetts, airport manager, said Bowden crashed through a gate on the facility’s southern end.

“We’ve had people hit our fence before because of icy roads, but this is the first time somebody kept going,” Tippetts said.

Tippetts said officers at the scene contacted air traffic controllers, who confirmed there were no inbound flights.

“We’re not closed, but we don’t have very much traffic either that time of day,” he said.

According to the affidavit, an officer noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Bowden and she fell “face-forward” onto her car.

She failed roadside sobriety tests, the affidavit said.

Bowden agreed to have her blood drawn for tests at St. Mary’s Hospital.

She was booked into the jail on a charges of DUI, driving with a suspended license, second-degree trespassing and careless driving resulting in no injuries.