A Des Moines woman whose car got stuck in snow was arrested early Friday after allegedly assaulting the public safety agents who came to assist her.
Valery Garcia, 28, of 2813 Cottage Grove Ave., Des Moines, was charged with driving while barred and two counts of assault on persons in certain occupations and issued citations for striking an unattended vehicle and failure to provide proof of financial liability.
The incident began about 3:30 a.m. Friday in the 500 block of S. 60th Street in West Des Moines, where officers of the West Des Moines Police Department responded to a report of “a vehicle in a snow bank that struck another vehicle,” according to court records.
The officers found Garcia in a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu “in the driver’s seat with the lights on,” according to court records.
Garcia allegedly became “combative and belligerent” when two firefighters with the West Des Moines Fire Department attempted to assist her, and she allegedly “swung violently at them both, striking them both but causing no injury,” according to court records.
Garcia is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $5,455.51 cash or surety bond in advance of an initial appearance in Dallas County District Court.
Garcia was convicted of assault causing bodily injury in 2014 in Polk County District Court. She was convicted of driving while barred three times in 2019 in Polk County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
