Calumet City Woman Fled From Police With Children In Vehicle
Gary- A 34-year-old Calumet City woman, Dominique E. James, has been charged in Lake County after police say she drove over 100 miles per hour through Gary with two small children unrestrained in her vehicle while intoxicated, resisted officers, and refused a chemical test on November 1, 2025.
According to court documents, a Gary Police Department officer was dispatched around 1:34 p.m. Saturday to a business at 830 W. 5th Avenue for a disturbance involving a woman yelling about a stolen phone. After officers learned the phone had been found, the woman—later identified as James—remained irate, returned to her 2013 Dodge Ram, and drove away with two very small children not secured in car seats or seat belts.
As the truck left the parking lot, the officer detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from James and ordered her not to leave. She ignored the command and sped off north through an alley before turning west onto 4th Avenue, reaching speeds exceeding 100 mph in a 40-mph zone, weaving between lanes, nearly striking vehicles and curbs, and “showing no regard for the motoring public,” the affidavit states.
After a brief pursuit, James pulled into a gas station at 3200 W. 4th Avenue. The officer noted both children were still moving freely inside the truck. James allegedly refused to provide identification, appeared “slurred, thick-tongued, yelling and extremely irate,” and continued to exit her vehicle despite repeated orders to remain inside. When told the truck would be towed and she needed to contact someone for the children, James allegedly put the vehicle in drive and tried to flee again before stopping a short distance later.
Officers ordered James to exit; she refused multiple commands, tensed up, and pulled away. Once handcuffed, she continued yelling and creating a disturbance.
Another officer on scene confirmed the odor of alcohol. James appeared unsteady and swaying on her feet and refused standardized field-sobriety tests. She later consented to a portable breath test, which returned 0.188 g/210 L, more than twice the legal limit. She told police, “It’s just wine.” She then refused to take a certified chemical test after being read Indiana’s implied-consent warning.
Police contacted family members for both children, ages 4 and 2. The affidavit notes that one child “is special needs and autistic,” and that James’s driving “endangered the life and health of both children.” Officers also found a small bottle of alcohol in the vehicle’s cup holder.
Charges filed November 3, 2025 :
• Neglect of a Dependent — defendant places dependent in situation that endangers the dependent (Level 6 Felony)
• Neglect of a Dependent — defendant places dependent in situation that endangers the dependent (Level 6 Felony)
• Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated: Endangering a Person Less Than 18 Years Old (Level 6 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement — Uses a Vehicle (Level 6 Felony)
• Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated: Endangering a Person (Class A Misdemeanor)
• Resisting Law Enforcement — Forcibly Resisting (Class A Misdemeanor)
• Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (Class C Misdemeanor)
• Reckless Driving — At Unreasonable High Speed Endangering Safety (Class C Misdemeanor)
