Suzanne Yaras, 78, of California
Suzanne Yaras, 78, of California, is facing charges and traffic citations after police say she was involved in a crash investigation outside a Solomons restaurant on May 6, 2026. Yaras is charged in Calvert County District Court with possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not cannabis, listed in court records as suspected Lorazepam, along with traffic citations for negligent driving, reckless driving, driving while so impaired by drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol that she could not drive safely, driving while impaired by a controlled dangerous substance, and directing and permitting highway vehicle operation contrary to law.
According to charging documents filed in District Court for Calvert County, a Calvert County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded at about 2 p.m. to the Lighthouse Inn Restaurant Dock Bar on Solomons Island Road in Solomons for a reported auto accident.
The deputy wrote that a gray Lexus was sitting in the middle of the parking lot at a 45-degree angle, with its front bumper cover hanging off and damage to several areas of the vehicle. Several people were in the parking lot looking at the vehicle, according to the statement of probable cause.
A witness told the deputy that while eating lunch at the restaurant, he heard a loud bang outside. The witness said he then saw the Lexus, operated by Yaras, strike multiple vehicles in the parking lot and an adjacent business before attempting to leave the lot, according to court documents. No injured person was identified in the documents provided.
The deputy wrote that Yaras said she had dinner at the restaurant and later took her dogs for a walk. She said that after returning, she placed a bag of food in the driver’s side footwell to keep the dogs from eating it. Court documents say Yaras stated she then got into a crash after mistakenly hitting the gas instead of the brake. She also stated she had not consumed alcoholic beverages while at the restaurant.
The deputy reported that Yaras had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, constricted pupils and dry-mouth-like behavior, but that no odor of alcohol was detected. Standardized field sobriety tests were conducted at about 4:05 p.m., according to the filing. The deputy wrote that Yaras said she had no medical conditions affecting coordination, balance or vision, but that she wore glasses. The deputy reported several observations during the tests, including balance issues, missed steps and a slow perception of time during a counting test.
During one test, Yaras was instructed to say “Stop” when she believed 30 seconds had passed; the deputy wrote that she ended the test after 46 seconds and said it was about 30 seconds.
The deputy wrote that, based on training and experience, Yaras was believed to be impaired and unable to safely operate a vehicle. She was arrested and placed in a patrol vehicle. During a search, the deputy reported finding unknown white pills stamped “EP 906” in napkins in her pants pockets. The deputy wrote that the pills were suspected Lorazepam, a Schedule IV controlled substance.
Court documents say that when Yaras asked for personal property from her vehicle, a deputy found white powdery residue inside a blue purse, along with multiple items covered in a white powdery substance and additional white pills suspected to be Lorazepam. Yaras agreed to take a breath test after the DR-15 advice of rights was played, and a Calvert County Sheriff’s Office corporal determined her breath alcohol sample was 0.00 BrAC, according to the filing. A drug recognition exam was also conducted, and a blood kit was submitted to Maryland State Police.
After being read her Miranda rights, Yaras said she understood and agreed to answer questions, according to court documents. When asked about the pills, she stated the pills in her purse were Oxycodone kept after surgery in November of the prior year. She said the pills in her pocket were “large 600mg Tylenol,” then later said they were Ibuprofen, and then later said she did not know what they were, according to the deputy’s account. Yaras also said she had consumed one-quarter of an Oxycodone pill around 10 a.m. that morning and had been “nibbling” pills because of ongoing mouth pain. Court documents say she identified herself as an anesthesiologist and made spontaneous statements, including that if she wanted drugs, she had access to them and was allowed to take them for personal use.
Items listed as sent for testing included about 12 unknown white pills and pill chunks suspected to be Lorazepam. Evidence listed in the documents included glasses, a black book, a blue purse, a pen, a glasses lens, lip gloss containers with broken-up pills, U.S. currency and a glasses case, many of which were described as being covered in white powder.
Yaras was taken to the Calvert County Detention Center and served with traffic citations and additional paperwork, according to the arrest documents. A District Court commissioner later released her on personal recognizance with no bond.
Initial appearance records show she waived an attorney for that hearing, was found not indigent for that initial determination and was ordered to follow release conditions that include not engaging in criminal conduct, appearing in court and abstaining from alcohol or abusive use or possession of narcotic drugs or controlled dangerous substances without a prescription.
The case was filed May 7, 2026, and remains listed as open in District Court for Calvert County. A trial is scheduled for July 1, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in Courtroom 2 at Calvert District Court.
