Charles City woman sentenced to three months for third DUI conviction

A Charles City woman will spend three months to jail after pleading guilty to driving under the influence as part of Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court.

Cynthia Leigh Pruitt, 45, of the 4500 block of Old Union Road, entered a guilty plea to one count of DUI (third or subsequent offense) as part of a plea agreement.

In a summary of evidence presented by Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Tyler Klink, on Nov. 8, 2022, a Charles City Sheriff’s Deputy responded for a call for service from New Kent County after a vehicle had left from a store in that jurisdiction where the customer appeared intoxicated. Information was relayed from New Kent’s Emergency Services that the driver had entered Charles City County. After receiving the license plate tag and identifying the owner via the information, the Charles City deputy responded to a nearby location of the residence and saw a vehicle matching the description pass by the officer at a high rate of speed while driving in the middle of the highway. A traffic stop was conducted, and the officer detected a strong odor of alcohol from the defendant’s best. A field sobriety test was conducted and Pruitt, now identified as the driver, failed the tests. She was arrested, with background information being discovered that she had received previous DUIs in New Kent and King William County.

Under the agreement, Pruitt received a five-year sentence with four years, nine months suspended (three months to serve). She must also pay a fine in the amount of $1,000.