Stripper had consumed alcohol, Xanax before fatal accident, police say

Published Mon, Mar 25, 2013 (12:44 p.m.)

Updated Mon, Mar 25, 2013 (1:13 p.m.)

Shauna Diane Miller

Shauna Diane Miller

Fatal accident scene

A dancer on her way home from work at a strip club told police she had consumed two beers and taken anti-anxiety medication in the hours before she was involved in a fatal traffic accident early Saturday.

Shauna Diane Miller, 26, Las Vegas, was arrested on a charge of DUI causing death after the Hummer H2 she was driving struck a Ford Escort and killed the driver, James Joseph White, 33, of Las Vegas. A 2-year-old passenger in the back seat of the Escort escaped serious injury, authorities said.

White was less than two blocks from his home, records indicate.

A Metro Police arrest report released Monday morning outlined the chain of events:

The accident occurred around 7:21 a.m. at West Spring Mountain and South Wynn roads.

Miller told police she was driving west on Spring Mountain and as she neared Wynn, the traffic signal on Spring Mountain turned from green to yellow. At that point, she saw the Escort traveling south on Wynn and turning right onto Spring Mountain. Miller said she tried to brake but was unable to avoid a collision with the car.

Investigators from Metro’s fatal crash division, however, determined the Escort had been traveling south on Wynn and had not attempted a right turn. Additionally, investigators found no indication of “pre-impact” braking by the Hummer. Investigators had not determined which vehicle ran a stoplight.

Miller told police she was coming off a shift as a dancer at the Spearmint Rhino strip club, where she had worked from 2 a.m. until 5:30 a.m. At the club, she said she had two beers, the last of which around 3 or 4 a.m. She also said she had taken a Xanax around 8 p.m. Friday.

Miller failed two of three field sobriety tests but passed a preliminary breath test on an uncalibrated Breathalyzer. Based on those tests, Miller was arrested. Two samples of her blood were taken by a nurse at the Clark County Detention Center to determine actual blood-alcohol content.

Miller, who had a temporary Nevada driver's license and a Clark County work card, remains jailed without bond.

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