D.C. Woman Slips Off Handcuffs Twice While Aiding DUI Suspect

A Washington, D.C. woman whose friend was arrested on a driving under the influence charge at Penfield Beach on Wednesday escaped from handcuffs twice after being charged with interfering in the arrest.

Police said Nell Rient, 27, was arrested because she fought with officers administering field sobriety tests to Evan Driscoll, 31, of Knapps Highway in Fairfield.

But Rient escaped from handcuffs twice after she was arrested, police said.

"It was later determined that Rient was able to collapse the bones in her hands, flip her wrists and easily slip the handcuffs off," said Police Officer Tyrone Parker, a department spokesman.

The Houdini-like incident began Wednesday when a Parks and Recreation Department employee refused Driscoll's attempt to drive into a parking lot at Penfield Beach, saying he needed a beach sticker, police said. The sticker-checker noticed that Driscoll's eyes appeared glassy, he was slurring his words and he appeared "out of it," police said.

The sticker-checker then called police, who arrived while Driscoll was still in his car at Penfield Beach, police said.

Rient "physically interfered" with officers conducting field sobriety tests on Driscoll, pushing officers and grabbing Driscoll's shirt in an attempt to drag him back to his car, police said. Rient called officers "various obscenities" and kicked an officer in his upper thigh as he walked her to a patrol car, police said.

The officer put handcuffs on Rient and put her in the back of a patrol car, but Rient was able to get the handcuffs off, police said. She then fought with officers attempting to take her out of the patrol car to put handcuffs back on her, police said.

"It took four to six officers to handcuff Rient," Parker said, adding that Rient was fighting them and had to be pinned to a patrol car to be re-handcuffed. "Moments later, she again removed the handcuffs," Parker said.

Rient was cooperative as she was being handcuffed for a third time, police said.

Police said Driscoll failed field sobriety tests.

Driscoll was held in lieu of $100 bond and was scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court July 11, police said.

Rient, charged with interfering with an officer, was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court July 11, police said.