There is very little about a police officer’s job that can be called easy or convenient. But every once in a while an officer gets a slam dunk, like Deputy Robert Miersma, who arrested a drunk woman who drove herself all the way to the jail, thinking she was arriving at the bar.

According to information provided by the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, the 39-year-old woman from Hastings apparently mistook the Van Buren County Jail in Paw Paw for a bar while she was hoping to pick up her boyfriend.

According to the arresting officer, he watched her backing slowly into the parking lot, all the while attempting to get her boyfriend back into the car with her. The reason for his reluctance was not disclosed.

Miersma observed her behavior while she drove, and then parked, in the parking lot of the Van Buren County Jail. It was about 2 am at the time. He says that when he approached her, she appeared intoxicated and smelled strongly of alcohol.

Miersma administered a Breathalyzer test, which returned a BAC of more than twice 0.08, which is Michigan’s legal limit for alcohol consumption. This puts her into the ‘super drunk’ category and means that, if convicted, she will face much stiffer penalties.

Apparently the woman later admitted to the arresting officer that she had recently been drinking at a local bar, and had mistaken the Van Buren County Jail for another one, not realizing that it was in fact the Sheriff’s Office.

Police have not yet released her name, pending arraignment, but have said that she is currently being held in the Van Buren County Jail, where she so conveniently parked her car while drunk.