Suspected drunk driver crashes vehicle with daughter inside

SANTEE (KUSI) – A woman, suspected to have been drunk,  allegedly crashed her SUV into a Santee business with her 2-year-old daughter in the back seat.   

Samijo Melfa, 25, is now behind bars with charges of drunken driving and child endangerment after crashing into the rear of Style Cleaners on Mission Gorge Road near Cuyamaca Street shortly before midnight, sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Ralph said.

She went about a block against traffic after losing control of her SUV, Ralph said.

Before hitting the back wall of the cleaning business, the SUV then went up onto the sidewalk, over a median and through a parking lot, losing a wheel along the way. No one was seriously injured.   

Melfa was taken into custody after the crash and her daughter was released to a family member, Ralph said.