Upper Darby mayor arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence

Upper Darby Mayor Barbarann Keffer was arrested Thursday for driving under the influence, police said.

Keffer, 56, was taken into custody shortly after 9 p.m. on Route 322 in Upper Chichester Township after a police officer saw her driving her Toyota on a flat tire and drifting out of her lane, according to the criminal complaint filed against her.

Keffer was alone in the car when she was stopped. The officer who pulled her over said he could smell alcohol on her breath as she spoke, the complaint said. When asked how many drinks she had, Keffer told the officer she had three, the complaint said.

The officer said Keffer had slurred speech and bloodshot, glassy eyes, according to the complaint. After the officer administered one field sobriety test, Keffer refused to do any more of the tests, including a blood test, the complaint said.

She was taken to Upper Chichester Township Police headquarters, where she refused to be photographed or fingerprinted before she was released on a summons, according to the complaint.

Keffer faces multiple charges, including driving under the influence and careless driving.

She could not be reached for comment Friday.

The officer said the passenger side front tire of Keffer’s car was flat and that there was fresh damage to the bumper.

Police traced the location of Keffer’s car throughout the night using license plate readers and found part of a guardrail that was damaged on the 700 block of Meetinghouse Road. The damage to the guardrail, they said, was consistent with the damage to the front bumper of Keffer’s car.