METHUEN — Police said a 28-year-old Methuen mother of three was driving drunk when she struck a parked vehicle and drove away with her children in the car.

Capt. Randy Haggar, commander of the Field Services Bureau, said a motorist used a cell phone to alert police about the hit-and-run accident Monday night around 10, and followed the car until police found it on Lowell Street.

Melody Nieves, of 31 Calumet Road, was identified as the driver. She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, drinking alcohol from an open container in a vehicle and driving without a license.

Officers found a bottle of rum and a prescription bottle of Depakote in the car, Haggar said. According to the Drugs.com Web site, Depakote is a drug used to treat migraine headaches, bipolar and seizure disorders. Warnings about the drug tell the user not to drink alcohol while taking Depakote.

Nieves told police she had just left a cookout. Her children — ages 3, 5 and 9 — were released to their grandmother.

Haggar said police filed a 51A report of abuse or neglect with the state Department of Social Services, as required by state law.

The following were taken from area police logs for Monday:

Methuen

Theft: 42 Anderson Drive, property taken, 8 a.m.

Theft: 250 Lowell St., property taken, 10:14 a.m.

Break: 2 Pleasant St., apartment broken into, 11:18 a.m.

Break: Hemenway St., house broken into, 2:27 p.m.

Vandalism: 4 Duma Road, mirror ripped off car, 6:05 p.m.

North Andover

Car crash: Andover Bypass and Meadowood Road, car off the road, no injuries, 5:19 p.m.

Animal complaint: 117 Prescott St., wild turkey by caller's car, officer reports it has been moved along, 7:55 a.m.

Animal complaint: 2 Cypress Terrace, Franklin School, family of skunks under building, officer reports school was advised what to do, 9:30 a.m.

Arrest: Haverhill boy, 13, trespassing, 345 Main St., 4:10 p.m.

Suspicious activity: Commonwealth and Massachusetts avenues, suspicious vehicle, officer reports a cab is waiting for a fare, 10:49 p.m.

Andover

Vandalism: Osgood Street, lawn damaged by car, 11:30 a.m.

Car crash: Red Spring Road, two cars, no injuries, 1:42 p.m.

Theft: Andover Street, property taken, 3:29 p.m.

Break: River Road, car broken into, GPS taken, 3:42 p.m.

Noise complaint: Post Office Avenue, loud music, officer reports it has been turned off for the night, 11:21 p.m.

Lawrence

Arrest: Yeimy Braddy, 20, Lynn, trespassing, 271 Broadway, 12:05 a.m.

Arrest: Byron Brady, 44, homeless, disorderly conduct, 120 Broadway, 12:16 a.m.

Arrest: David Leon, 27, 115 Farnham St., assault and battery on a household member, 115 Bennington St., 12:45 a.m.

Arrest: Samuel Pino, 48, 180 Lancaster Road, North Andover, possession of cocaine, South Union and Market streets, 1:18 a.m.

Vandalism: 59 Tenney St., property damaged, 2:33 a.m.

Break: Haverhill and May streets, apartment broken into, 4:36 a.m.

Break: 293 Hampshire St., apartment broken into, 6:53 a.m.

Break: 32 Avon St., car broken into, 7:37 a.m.

Vandalism: 28 Katherine St., property damaged, 9:21 a.m.

Theft: 73 Winthrop Ave., property taken, 10:17 a.m.

Arrest: Ana Quezada, 33, 435 High St., refusing to produce a license or registration, exhibiting the license of another to conceal her identity, driving after revocation, 410 Essex St., 11:20 a.m.

Theft: 8 Washington St., car taken, 2:02 p.m.

Theft: 555 S. Union St., property taken, 2:20 p.m.

Theft: 135 Broadway, property taken, 3:35 p.m.

Theft: 93 Andover St., property taken, 5:27 p.m.

Arrest: Anthony Dirubbo, 42, Nashua, N.H., possession of heroin, Lawrence and Maple streets, 7:45 p.m.

Arrest: Miguel Sierra, 38, 189 Union St., distribution of heroin, distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school zone, Lawrence and Maple streets, 8 p.m.

Noise complaint: 58 Milton St., fireworks being set off, 9:30 p.m.

Noise complaint: Newbury and Summer streets, fireworks being set off, 9:31 p.m.