Woman Pleads Not Guilty After Hitting 10-Year-Old at Scott County Bus Stop
Ashley Parsons, 39, entered a not guilty plea Tuesday after allegedly striking a child at a Georgetown, Ky. school bus stop while driving drunk.
Ashley Parsons Arraigned in Scott County After Bus Stop Collision
Ashley Parsons, 39, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges stemming from an incident in which a 10-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle at a school bus stop in Scott County, Kentucky, wkyt.com reports.
At her arraignment in Scott County District Court, Parsons learned that her bond will remain at $50,000 and that she will be assigned a court-appointed attorney. Her next court date is set for September 1 for a preliminary hearing.
Parsons faces multiple charges: operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, first-degree assault, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident with failure to render aid, and passing a loading or unloading school bus.
The incident occurred on August 20 at the intersection of Bunker Hill Drive and Mt. Vernon Drive. Officers were dispatched following a report of an injury collision involving a child, with witnesses indicating the vehicle had fled the scene.
According to the arrest citation, the vehicle failed to stop at the school bus stop sign and struck the 10-year-old girl as she was crossing the street to board the bus. Witnesses told officers the child was hit with such force that her shoes were knocked off, and she was thrown from the front of the bus, landing near the rear tires.
Officers subsequently learned of a possibly suicidal woman driving a vehicle matching the description of the one involved in the collision. That vehicle was located on Dorchester Drive, with visibly new damage to the front.
Parsons was found inside a nearby residence. The arrest citation states she admitted to an officer that she had driven while intoxicated and acknowledged being in the area at the time of the collision, though she said she did not recall what she had been doing. Parsons' father, the registered owner of the vehicle, confirmed the front-end damage was new.
During a subsequent interview at the Georgetown Police Department, Parsons said she remembered seeing the stopped school bus but had no recollection of a stop sign or striking a child, according to the arrest citation.
The child remains under medical care for her injuries, police said.
Source: Google News GY — Georgetown