A Vallonia woman was arrested late Tuesday after police said she was driving while intoxicated with a baby in her lap.

Karen D. Benge, 55, faces a preliminary Level 5 felony charge of endangerment and three preliminary Level 6 felony charges of neglect of a dependent, visiting/maintaining a common nuisance and possession of methamphetamine.

She also faces preliminary misdemeanor charges of endangerment and possession of marijuana.

Benge was arrested after Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Officer Zach Elliott conducted a traffic stop at David and Washington streets in Medora.

Elliott reported he saw Benge driving all over the roadway, according to a news release from the sheriff’s department.

When Elliott walked up to the vehicle, he said he saw Benge with a 2-month-old baby in her lap.

She told Elliott she had had the baby on her lap from the time she left Sparksville and was driving to her residence in Vallonia, police said.

Elliott said he also noticed other signs of impairment while speaking with her and asked her to take a field sobriety test. She failed the field sobriety test and did not consent to a chemical test.

Police took Benge to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour and obtained a search warrant for a chemical test.

Elliott said he also found methamphetamine, marijuana, two controlled substances and two prescription pills in a bag located on the top of the center console of her vehicle during a search.

The child’s mother was called and picked up her child at the scene.

County Officer Brad Barker and county Reserve Officer John Hinton assisted with investigation, and Dave’s Towing towed the vehicle.

Benge was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 12:40 a.m. without bond pending her initial hearing.

A Level 5 felony is punishable between one and six years if convicted. The advisory sentence is three years.