CdA woman arrested for DUI after driving car into Fernan Lake

A 22-year-old Coeur d’Alene woman lost control of her car and drove it into Fernan Lake Sunday night. She was arrested for driving under the influence after her blood-alcohol content was measured at more than twice the legal limit.

Tiana E. Pierce managed to escape her 2008 Subaru Impreza uninjured after driving it off an embankment and into the lake around 11 p.m., a news release from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said.

Pierce exited the vehicle while it was still floating and swam to a nearby dock. A passerby gave her a ride to a gas station. While she was there, she was contacted by a Coeur d’Alene police officer. She told the officer she was not sure if anyone else was in the vehicle, the release said.

Deputies found the Subaru in Fernan Lake about two-tenths of a mile east of Fernan Village, off of Fernan Lake Road. It was submerged about 30 feet out from shore. Members of the sheriff’s office dive team confirmed the vehicle was empty, with no sign of anyone else being in the car.