Alleged drunk driver pleads not guilty

NEWPORT BEACH — A Newport Beach woman pleaded not guilty Friday to misdemeanor child endangerment after she was arrested for allegedly driving drunk and crashing a car with her 11-year-old daughter inside.

Newport Beach police said Linda Marie Kanen, 51, was drunk when she steered her 2010 Mercedes-Benz SUV through a red light into a left turn and hit another car.

Both she and the other driver suffered minor injuries, said Lt. Bill Hartford.

Kanen was booked for misdemeanor child endangerment and driving with a blood alcohol level above .08.

Her daughter was picked up by relatives, police said.

Court records show Kanen pleaded guilty June 28 to public intoxication and was cited in 2009 for talking on her cell phone while driving and also in 2007 for speeding.

Kanen is due back at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach court Aug. 13 for a pre-trial hearing. She is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.