WASHINGTON TWP. -- A Philadelphia nun who claimed she was sleep-driving after being charged with DUI in Gloucester County was found guilty Wednesday of drunken driving.

Kimberly Miller, 41, argued she took an Ambien with a glass of wine before going to bed on Nov. 7 in North Philadelphia and had no idea how she wound up in Washington Township.

Miller was pulled over after a couple driving on the Black Horse Pike saw her back into a Meineke auto repair shop, then leave the scene.

In a five-hour proceeding before municipal court Judge Martin Whitcraft last week, defense attorney Jeff Lindy described Miller's condition as "pathological intoxication."

Lindy argued she should not be found guilty because she was not aware that she was behind the wheel.

Prosecutor Scott Burns, meanwhile, argued that there was "nothing about intent" in the state law against drunken driving.

Whitcraft said that the pathological intoxication argument had no basis in N.J. case law, and added that he did not buy Miller's story.

"The defense has very little support, if any," Whitcraft said. He noted that Miller's defense said she had not been properly warned of the side effects of Ambien by her pharmacist.

"Even if the court believed that, Ambien has been on the market for some time," he said, and most reasonable people would be aware of the risks that come with the sleep aid.

Whitcraft also said that even though the nun's blood alcohol level of .16 percent had not been included as evidence by the prosecution, police officers at the scene reported finding a half-empty wine bottle in the back of Miller's Chevrolet sedan.

Miller said she had spent her evening at a book signing, and that the owner of a bookstore had given her the wine to take back to the convent. The store owner also testified, saying she had known Miller for years and had given her leftovers from the event to take home.

"I find the defendant's testimony less than credible. She testified that this wine was placed in the back seat by two sober, reasonable people," said Whitcraft.

Leaving the wine in the back seat, he said, would be a violation of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey open container laws.

Miller's license was suspended for 90 days, and she was ordered to pay a fine. She remains on administrative leave from her teaching duties at Little Flower High School in Philadelphia.

Four lesser traffic violations, including reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident, were dismissed.

Lindy said he did not know whether Miller would be permanently removed from her teaching position, and that the defense had not made any decisions about appealing the verdict.

In a statement provided after the ruling, Lindy said, "I understand the judge's ruling that New Jersey doesn't recognize the defense of pathological intoxication in DWI matters. If we appeal, perhaps this is the case where we can make some new law on that issue."

The statement continued by saying the credibility concerns about Miller "and her witness from Children's Bookworld is really remarkable. The judge said that he doesn't believe the testimony of a nun and the owner of a children's bookstore. I was stunned and in disbelief when I heard him say that. I've never seen anything like it."

"She's upset," Lindy said. "She's in tears, because she knows what happened that night. The conviction doesn't bother her as much as the fact that the judge didn't believe her. She's hurt by that."

Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find NJ.com on Facebook.