Nun crashes into building after mixing altar wine and Ambien

A nun claims she had no idea what happened the night she crashed her car into a building after mixing altar wine and an Ambien sleeping pill.

Sister Kimberly Miller (Photo: Catholic Philly)

Sister Kimberly Miller, 41, was arrested last November after failing two field sobriety tests at 2am in Washington Township, New Jersey.

The nun was charged with Driving Under the Influence after crashing into a building 20 miles away from her convent – but told a court this week that she had no idea how she got to New Jersey because she had taken a sleeping pill, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

A breathalyser test later revealed Sister Miller had a blood alcohol level of .16 – twice the legal driving limit.

Witnesses reported that Sister Miller had been driving erratically and shattered the glass door of a vehicle repair shop while reversing in an attempt to turn her car around.

In court the nun’s defence team argued that she had no recollection of any of this because she took an Ambien that night to help her sleep.

The defence further argued that Sister Miller’s Ambien, along with a glass of altar wine she had drunk that evening, caused her to suffer an adverse reaction. The nun also faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident.

“At first I thought it was a dream, because I had handcuffs on. I was in my habit. I’m a nun,” Sister Miller said during her testimony.

“I don’t understand how I got to New Jersey. I couldn’t figure out where all the time went.”

Sister Miller’s defence said the nun had a history of sleepwalking. A fellow nun testified that she once saw Sister Miller appearing to sleepwalk in the middle of the night.

The arresting officer told the court that Sister Miller had bloodshot eyes and staggered when she was asked her to get out of her car. The incident was captured on a the officer’s patrol car dashcam.

Police also found a half-drunk bottle of wine in the backseat of Sister Miller’s car, although a defence witness testified that she had given it to the nun in that condition the previous day.

Sister Miller told one officer at the time of her arrest that she had not drunk any wine and another that she had had two small glasses.

In court Sister Miller said that she had in fact had two small glasses of wine earlier that day and then a glass of altar wine with her Ambien.

A verdict is set to be announced next Wednesday.

Sister Miller, who had been teaching at Little Flower High School for Girls in Philadelphia, has been placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

A petition to reinstate Sister Miller has received more than 2,000 signatures.