Ross Says She Was Lost During DUI Arrest

<br>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) _ Singer Diana Ross said she was trying to rent a video and got lost when she was stopped for allegedly driving under the influence, according a police report. <br><br>Tucson police

Thursday, January 2nd 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) _ Singer Diana Ross said she was trying to rent a video and got lost when she was stopped for allegedly driving under the influence, according a police report.

Tucson police Officer Scott Sullivan stopped Ross early Monday morning after someone reported that a vehicle was driving south in the northbound lanes of a street in northeastern Tucson.

Sullivan's report, released Tuesday, indicated that he stopped Ross, 58, at a Blockbuster video store, where she had pulled into a handicapped space. She twice denied she had been drinking, and said she had been lost and was ``just trying to get here to rent a video.''

The report also said Ross consented to a field sobriety test but fell down and laughed while trying to stand on one leg and count to 10. In another test, it said, she skipped a couple of letters and doubled others when asked to write the alphabet.

Ross was cited on three misdemeanor counts related to driving under the influence and has a Jan. 13 court date. Police said breath tests showed Ross had a blood-alcohol level of at least 0.20 percent, more than twice Arizona's legal limit of 0.08.

A spokeswoman for her Los Angeles-based publicist, Paul Bloch, declined to comment on the arrest. In May, Bloch had said Ross entered a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center to deal with personal issues.