A local woman who allegedly crashed into three other vehicles Monday morning, injuring two other drivers, and then fled the scene was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges after being followed by a witness.
Donna Sue Cobb, 64, who lists a Bluebell Place address, was taken into custody shortly before 10 a.m. and charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, punishable by up to six years in prison, and misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated, drugs, first offense, reckless driving and refusal to submit to chemical tests.
Cobb, who lists no prior criminal history other than traffic offenses, was later released on a $4,000 bond and is set to appear June 7 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, Hot Springs police were dispatched to a hit-and-run wreck at Malvern Avenue and Carpenter Dam Road where the actor vehicle, identified as a black Infiniti, had fled westbound on Malvern.
A witness to the wreck followed the Infiniti and stayed on the phone with dispatchers giving them the license plate number and the location of the vehicle so officers also responded in its direction.
Officer 1st Class Shawn Lowrey arrived on the scene at Malvern and Carpenter Dam and noted there was a pickup truck on the embankment in front of Compact Hillcrest Campus, 2325 Malvern, and a large amount of debris starting east of the intersection and continuing over 200 feet west of the intersection and a fluid trail headed west from the scene.
An investigation determined the Infiniti struck a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic in the outside lane just east of the intersection and pushed it into the driveway of Hillcrest, then continued through the intersection where it reportedly rear-ended a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado that was in the right lane.
The Infiniti continued to push the Silverado until it collided with a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox in front of it, then eventually pushed the Silverado off the roadway and up the embankment.
The Infiniti continued west until it was located at Malvern and Hollywood avenues by officers.
Lowrey spoke to the driver of the Sonic, who advised his neck and back were hurting, so he was transported by LifeNet to National Park Medical Center. The driver of the Silverado reportedly had "a large skin tear" on his left forearm and smaller skin tears on both arms.
Hot Springs Fire Department personnel treated the man at the scene, wrapping his arm to protect it. The driver of the Equinox did not complain of any injuries at the scene.
Lowrey then went to Malvern and Hollywood where officers had the Infiniti driver, identified as Cobb, stopped. Cobb reportedly told Lt. John Tinney she took Fioricet, a narcotic pain reliever, prior to driving and confirmed it while talking to Lowrey.
She reportedly told Tinney and Sgt. Joey Williams she was "headed to court," and Lowrey noted she was leaning on the back of Tinney's unit and had "slurred speech" and "droopy eyelids."
She was "very unsteady" on her feet, but indicated she could submit to field sobriety tests. As she was walked to the front of Lowrey's unit, she continued to be unsteady and told him she had "problems with her hips."
Lowrey conducted the one vision test which reportedly indicated signs of impairment and since she had to have things explained to her multiple times, was "swaying" back and forth, and couldn't keep her feet together she was taken into custody for DWI.
While advising her of her rights, Lowrey noted an odor of intoxicants on her breath. She initially agreed to take a breath test, but then later refused noting "they" had told her not to take it. She also reportedly refused a urine test so she was booked into the jail.