A 29-year-old Eureka woman is facing charges for alleged possession of illegal drugs following a two-vehicle accident on southbound I-55 near Richardson Road in Arnold. The accident occurred at about 10:25 a.m. Sept. 4, Arnold Police reported.
The woman was a passenger in a 2013 Mitsubishi Galant driven by a 29-year-old Imperial man, who was driving south on I-55 when the woman reportedly asked him to hand her something while he was changing lanes. After the man helped the woman with the item and looked up, he saw a 2010 Toyota Camry in front of him in the lane he was shifting into, and the Mitsubishi’s front driver side struck the back passenger side of the Toyota, the report said.
Edward Demille, 61, of Pevely was driving the Toyota, according to the report.
No injuries were reported, and both cars were driven from the scene.
When officers arrived, they found the woman in the passenger seat of the Mitsubishi. She struggled to respond to questions and allegedly lost consciousness at one point, the report said.
The woman regained consciousness and told officers she was fine. However, officers allegedly saw a white powdery substance around the woman’s nostrils and called Rock Township Ambulance District personnel to the scene to treat her for a possible overdose, the report said.
While searching the woman’s purse for identification, the officer allegedly found a scale, a white powdery substance and three capsules. The woman was treated and transported to an area hospital for further evaluation, the report said.
Depending on results from the drug analysis, Arnold Police will seek charges against the woman through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for possession of a controlled substance, Shular said.
The Imperial man was issued a summons to appear in Arnold Municipal Court for failure to pay attention to the road, Capt. Rich Shular said.