Mugshot of Megan Smith. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A woman who told police she was rushing to the Superior Court for a probation sign-in was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after allegedly striking a parked vehicle in the court’s parking lot last Friday afternoon.
Responding officers found Megan Smith sitting under a tree near the court’s maintenance building after police were alerted to the incident. Ms. Smith reportedly told officers she had been driving through the parking lot to get to her probation appointment when she noticed an empty space on the west side of the Superior Court building.
According to police, Ms. Smith said she tried to turn into the space and did not realize she had collided with a parked vehicle because loud music was playing in her car. She reportedly said it was only after she got out of the vehicle and heard a deputy marshal shouting that she realized another vehicle had been damaged.
As officers spoke with Ms. Smith, they noted that she appeared sweaty and that her speech was slurred. Although she told police she had a learning disability, officers said the odor of alcohol coming from her person suggested another explanation for her behavior. One deputy marshal at the scene reportedly told police that Ms. Smith had admitted to drinking. She later reportedly confirmed to police that she had consumed at least two alcoholic drinks earlier in the day.
Reports from deputy marshals indicate that Ms. Smith entered the parking lot at a high rate of speed and ignored shouts to slow down. After nearly colliding with one vehicle, she reportedly attempted to park between two other stationary vehicles, again ignoring a deputy marshal’s warning that she was too close to one of them.
After the collision, Ms. Smith reportedly got out of her vehicle and began walking up the slope toward the court building before being stopped by a deputy marshal. Police say she initially denied being involved in a collision, but acknowledged responsibility after the damage to the parked vehicle was pointed out.
Ms. Smith’s probation officer also drew police attention to a small bottle of liquor and a water bottle containing a colored liquid, which Ms. Smith reportedly confirmed was an alcoholic beverage. She was asked to perform the standard field sobriety tests and reportedly failed all three.
Before officers were instructed to take her to jail, Ms. Smith allegedly told them that she would be out of detention by Monday.
She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor, negligent driving, operating an unregistered vehicle, and operating an uninsured vehicle. Ms. Smith was booked and later released after posting $1,500 bail.
In court on Monday, Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross found probable cause to uphold the charges against Ms. Smith, but deferred the remainder of the hearing to Wednesday at the request of defense counsel.
It was not immediately clear whether Ms. Smith was able to complete her probation check-in on Friday.
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