Miranda Kay Rader. (Bryan Police Department)
A Texas college student crashed her SUV into a police cruiser while driving drunk and taking a topless Snapchat selfie for her boyfriend, police say.
Miranda Kay Rader, 19, was arrested Wednesday night, the Bryan Police Department said on Facebook.
No one was injured in the crash, which happened about 8:40 p.m. The officer was not in his car at the time.
Police said Rader crashed into the back of the Bryan police car on East Villa Maria Road while officers were at the scene of a disturbance call, the Bryan-College Station Eagle reports.
“Don’t Drink and Drive! Don’t #snapchat photos to your boyfriend and drive!,” the police department said on Twitter.
Rader is a student at Texas A&M University.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Rader Had Her Bra Unclasped & Was Trying to Put Her Shirt Back on After the Crash, Police Say
(Facebook)
Miranda Rader was driving an Acura SUV on East Villa Maria Road about 8:40 p.m. when the crash occurred, according to a police report obtained by The Smoking Gun.
Bryan Police Officer John Sartell said in the report that he “heard the sound of a vehicle braking hard and heard what sounded like a vehicle collision.” He said he then turned and saw that Rader’s SUV had hit the back of his police cruiser, which had its emergency lights activated at the time.
A photo taken by police after the crash. (Bryan Police Department)
Sartell said he walked up to the SUV and saw the “white female driver with an unclasped brassiere.” He said she was “trying to put a black blouse on.”
“I asked her why she was not dressed while driving and she stated that she was taking a Snapchat photo to send to her boyfriend while she was at the red light,” Sartell wrote.
Two witnesses told police they saw Rader’s SUV “driving recklessly” before she collided with the rear of the patrol vehicle.
Rader’s airbag deployed in the crash, but she told police she was not injured.
2. She Also Had an Open Bottle of Wine in Her Car, the Officer Said
(Instagram)
Police said they also found an open bottle of wine in Rader’s SUV after the crash, and she admitted that she had been drinking earlier in the night at a friend’s house, according to the police report.
Officer John Sartell said in his report that he saw a green-tinted glass bottle of wine in the center console cupholder.
“She stated that the open bottle of wine was from when she was drinking at a friend’s house,” Sartell wrote in his report. “When I recovered the bottle, approximately 1/4 of the bottle contained a liquid that had the odor of an alcoholic beverage. Rader initially stated that she split the opened bottle of wine with her friend. I asked how much se drank and she stated that she drank a little over 1/4 of the bottle.”
(Bryan Police Department)
Sartell said he conducted standardized field sobriety tests on Rader at the scene.
He said her eyes were glassy and she “swayed continuously” during the tests. She also failed the “walk and turn test,” police said, and the “one leg stand” test.
She was taken to a local hospital and consented to a blood draw, according to Sartell. Police have not said what her blood alcohol content was.
3. She Shared a News Story on Facebook About a Teen Who Died in a Drunken Driving Crash in July
(Instagram)
Miranda Kay Rader is a freshman at Texas A&M University, according to the Bryan-College Station Eagle.
She is originally from Austin, Texas, according to her Facebook and Instagram pages.
In July, Rader shared a link on her Facebook page to a news story about a Texas teen who was killed that month in a drunken driving crash. The family of the 18-year-old West Austin victim, Jack Cloudt, talked to KEYE-TV about their son’s crash in an effort to help others learn from his tragic death.
(Facebook)
His parents, Jack and Jim Cloudt, told the news station they hoped others would hear their son’s story and learn “actions have consequences.”
Rader told police she was driving back to her dorm on campus at the time of the crash. She could not be reached for comment and it is not clear if she has hired an attorney.
4. She Was Charged with DUI & Released From Jail After Posting $2,000 Bail
(Facebook)
Rader was charged with driving while intoxicated with an open container, a misdemeanor, according to police.
The charge is a class B misdemeanor, and Rader faces up to 180 days in county jail if convicted. It is not clear if she could face other charges connected to the crash.
She was also issued a citation for being a minor in possession of alcohol.
After being taken to the hospital for a blood draw, Rader was booked into the Brazos County Detention Center. She was released Thursday morning after posting $2,000 bail.
It is not yet known when she is scheduled to appear in court.
5. She Is Not the First Driver to be Accused of Causing a Crash While Using Snapchat
Rader is not the first person to be accused of using Snapchat while driving.
The story of Christal McGee, a 19-year-old Georgia woman, went viral in 2015 and again earlier this year, after police said she was distracted by Snapchat when she crashed into another car while driving over 100 miles per hour.
The driver of the other car was seriously injured and is suing McGee and Snapchat. McGee is facing felony charges.
In another case of distracted driving, a Maryland man struck a Baltimore police SUV while playing Pokemon Go, authorities said this summer.
No one was injured in that crash, which was caught on body camera video.