A 26-year-old Arnold woman was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated after she allegedly drove away from an accident at the intersection of Jeffco Boulevard and Michigan Avenue in Arnold. The accident occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Sept. 4, Arnold Police reported.
The woman was driving a 2009 Ford Fusion on Michigan Avenue and while turning left onto Jeffco Boulevard, she allegedly ran a red light, and a 2003 Toyota Camry traveling through the intersection hit the Fusion, the report said.
Vernon Otto, 67, of Arnold was driving the Camry. No injuries were reported for him. However, damage to the Camry was estimated at $1,600, according to the report.
The woman allegedly drove away from the intersection, and an officer spotted the Fusion in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby, 30 Arnold Park Mall. The officer also allegedly saw the woman and a man who had been in the Fusion with her running towards the Chick-fil-A restaurant, 1 Arnold Mall, the report said.
After other officers responded to the area to search for the woman and man, an officer saw them walking north on Jeffco Boulevard. The woman appeared intoxicated and initially denied driving the Fusion and being involved in an accident, according to the report.
The officer got an identification card from the woman and discovered her driver’s license had been revoked. In addition, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office wanted her on a warrant for being a persistent DWI offender, the report said.
Eventually, the woman reportedly confessed to being involved in the accident, and she was arrested. She was taken to the Police Station, where she was booked and then transported to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County after allegedly making suicidal statements, according to the report.
Arnold Police will seek charges against the woman through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for felony DWI, driving with a revoked license, leaving the scene of an accident and impeding an investigation, Capt. Rich Shular said.
The man who was with the woman was not arrested, Shular said.