Naperville woman charged with DUI after crash outside school

A Naperville woman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol at an unusual location — a middle school — and an unusual hour — 3:05 p.m. — right as classes were to be dismissed, authorities said.

Melinda S. Panzer, 46, of the 900 block of Norwood Court, drove over a curb, struck a traffic sign, traveled over a grass median and hit a parked vehicle Thursday at Kennedy Junior High School, 2929 Green Trails Drive in Lisle, Sgt. Ron Wilke said.

The driveway into the school splits between a student pickup and drop-off lane and the main parking area, Wilke said. But at the fork, Panzer’s Saab 97X SUV continued straight, over a curb, into the traffic sign, then into an unoccupied vehicle parked in the student pickup lane, he said.

Panzer continued driving after the crash and parked her SUV in a different section of the school’s parking lot, Wilke said.

He said the school resource officer assigned to Kennedy Junior High responded to the crash right away, then ran the license plate to find Panzer’s vehicle. The officer gave Panzer a field sobriety test and determined she was under the influence of alcohol.

The crash tore Panzer’s front bumper from her SUV, but damage to the other vehicle is unknown.

Panzer appeared in court Sunday morning and was released on bond.