Intoxicated woman driving wrecked car flips off officer making traffic stop

Elizabeth Ann Burgess

By Joe Johnson

An Athens woman was recently arrested when she was found drunk-driving a car that had been badly damaged from a hit-and-run accident.

Police said that it was on the night of Feb.14 that they received a citizen’s report of a Ford Fiesta being driven with two flat tires and front-end damage that had run a red light.

A police officer spotted the car at Chase Street and Prince Avenue, its rims sparking on the pavement, and when making a U-turn to follow she saw the driver shoot her middle finger out of the window as the car sped up and swerved in and out of lanes before abruptly pulling into Dunkin Donuts.

The driver initially gave a fake name but was soon identified as 42-year-old Elizabeth Ann Burgess of Sweeetwater Circle.

Burgess told police that she was on her way home from work at a local pool hall and had been unaware that her car had been damaged,

She failed roadside sobriety tests, and after initially agreeing to blood tests, she withdrew her consent at the hospital, refusing further cooperation without her lawyer being present.

Burgess also claimed to not care about what happened to her because she was dying of cancer, and “stated that she knew that this case would get thrown out because she was white,” according to police.

The officer noted in her report that Burgess had been arrested for driving while intoxicated three times since 2021.

She was charged with DUI, reckless driving, driving an unsafe vehicle, hit and run, driving under a suspended license, and falsely identifying herself to police.

She was released from custody upon posting bonds totaling $3,500.