Panel upholds another Ambien-related conviction

Published November 28, 2010 5:00am ET



A judicial appeals panel upheld the conviction of a Virginia woman on child endangerment charges in the second case this month involving the prescription sleep aid Ambien. Sharon Breeden Wood of Windsor Farms was arrested in September 2008 in Henrico County after a witness saw her “hunched over and swaying back and forth” in her parked car while her two children, ages 2 and 5, sat in the back seat, according to court documents.

Wood’s blood alcohol content was 0.19, more than twice the legal limit in Virginia. Her blood also tested positive for Ambien in the amount consistent with the ingestion of one tablet, court documents show. Wood told Henrico police Officer Lawrence Peranski she had also taken the antidepressant drug Paxil and had a glass of wine at lunch.

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