LAKE ANDES-A Ravinia woman charged with driving three babies in a high-speed police chase while drunk in July was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail.
Kateri Archambeau, 29, will additionally have her driver's license revoked for one month, and she was ordered to pay $203 in fines and court costs and serve three years probation.
On June 29, Yankton Sioux tribal officers and deputies from the Charles Mix County Sheriff's Office were involved in the high-speed pursuit of a Dodge van, driven by Archambeau, heading north on a Marty road toward Ravinia.
According to court documents, Archambeau was highly intoxicated when she was detained, and inside the van were found three infants not properly secured in car seats and two open beer cans. At the time she was booked, Archambeau reportedly was having trouble walking on her own, and she gave a preliminary breath test of 0.146.
Archambeau was charged with three counts of abuse or cruelty to a minor less than 7 years of age, a Class 3 felony, as well as a first-offense DUI and having an open alcoholic beverage container accessible in a vehicle, both of which are misdemeanors.
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She pleaded not guilty to all charges on July 23. Also in July, two charges of violating a valid court order were added to the case. The court took no formal action on either charge.
Between the end of July and Sept. 17, Archambeau accumulated three additional charges of violating a valid court order. She failed to appear for a Sept. 17 hearing schedule to address those alleged violations. A bench warrant was issued, then Archambeau returned two days later. Ultimately, no formal action was taken on those violations.
Archambeau pleaded guilty to a first-offense DUI, a Class 1 misdemeanor, on the day of her sentencing, and the state dropped the remainder of the charges.
