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A county Department of Economic Development employee with a history of drunken driving convictions tried to bribe a police officer with $5,000 for "lesser charges" after she was arrested for driving under the influence in March, according to the police report documenting her arrest.

Cynthia Marie Harrison of Mount Airy, was stopped at 7 a.m. March 26 after police were alerted to an erratic driver near the McDonald's in the 26400 block of Ridge Road in Damascus, according to the report. She was charged with DUI, driving while impaired by alcohol, driver failure to yield right of way crossing highway, violating license restriction and possessing more than one driver's license, according to court records.

Her trial is scheduled in Montgomery County District Court on June 19.

County spokeswoman Donna Bigler, said Harrison, 51, was placed on paid leave from her job as a business development specialist immediately after her arrest. Bigler said she could not detail Harrison's work record because it is covered under Maryland privacy laws.

Bigler said Harrison was not permitted to drive the county car after business hours.

"She did violate our take home policy," Bigler said. The policy only allows county cars to be taken home if an employee has early business for the county the next day. "She was not authorized at the time of her arrest to take the car home."

A message on Harrison's work extension said she was on leave. Harrison's home phone number is not listed. An attorney is not listed in court records.

This is not the first time Harrison has been charged with an alcohol-related driving offense.

Harrison pleaded guilty to DUI on May 7 to an Oct. 4, 2008, charge issued in Howard County, according to court records. She was placed on probation for a year and her license was suspended for 275 days, according to court records.

Harrison has been convicted of DWI in 2005, 1996, 1995 and 1992, according to the police report. She was convicted of DUI in 1988, according to the police report.

According to the police report, Harrison has an alcohol restriction on her license and is required to have an interlock device in her vehicle. The driver must blow into the device and if alcohol is detected, the vehicle won't start, said Capt. Thomas Didone, commander of the 5th District Police station. Interlock devices are independently installed after a court order, Didone said.

Bigler said Harrison's case is "an issue of great concern" to the county. She said this was the first time Harrison was charged with a DUI in a county vehicle.

"We do background checks, but we don't specify for DUI's," Bigler said. "We're looking to change that now."

The police report details Harrison's arrest:

After police were alerted to an erratic driver, a county sheriff's deputy saw the Chevy Trailblazer fail to yield while exiting a McDonald's drive-thru. The deputy stopped the SUV in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven.

County police arrived and asked Harrison to exit the vehicle for a sobriety test. Harrison told police she had "wine with dinner" the previous night, according to the police report.

Harrison did not understand the officer's instructions. She "took nine steps along the line, missing heel to toe on every step by several inches," according to the report. She "quickly lost her balance" when asked to lift her right foot. She refused any further tests once both feet were on the ground.

After Harrison was arrested, she became belligerent, according to the report.

During a search of the SUV, police found two nearly empty half liter bottles of tequila in a gym bag behind the driver's seat, according to the police report. Police confiscated three Maryland driver's licenses from her purse, according to the police report.

While being processed, Harrison "stated she knew county executive Ike Leggett and Gov. O'Malley," according to the police report. Harrison continued to talk with the officer, asking "what would it take make these charges disappear," according to the police report. Then, Harrison offered the officer $5,000 for "lesser charges," according to the police report.