A local woman who was arrested Tuesday morning on a felony charge of driving while intoxicated, fourth offense, was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run collision with another car before hitting a tree and rolling her vehicle over, a police report says.
Martha Parent Baudoin, 59, who lists a Central Avenue address, was taken into custody shortly after 10:30 a.m. and charged with felony DWI, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of leaving the scene of a property damage accident, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Baudoin, who was also cited for careless and prohibited driving, improper backing of a vehicle and refusal to submit to a breath test, was being held on a $2,500 bond and was set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at around 10:42 a.m., Hot Springs police Cpl. Richard Nunez and Officer Nicolas Cato responded to a vehicle rollover in the 100 block of East Grand Avenue and found an SUV on its side, but the driver was "not in the area."
Martha Parent Baudoin - Submitted photoA witness said the driver, later identified as Baudoin, had fled from the vehicle running toward Cash Saver, 800 Malvern Ave. Officers located Baudoin there and brought her back to the wreck scene where she was checked by LifeNet personnel for injuries.
Nunez spoke to Baudoin inside the ambulance and noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from her person. He asked her if she had anything to drink and her only response was "it's 9 o'clock."
She reportedly refused to provide a breath sample using the portable Breathalyzer and was then transported by LifeNet to National Park Medical Center where she reportedly provided a blood and urine sample.
After she was released from the hospital, she was taken to the Garland County Detention Center and initially agreed to provide a breath sample, but then changed her mind and allegedly stated she was "going to blow a high number" because she drank "a lot of wine" earlier in the day.
It was determined that prior to wrecking on East Grand, Baudoin had been involved in a hit-and-run collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Malvern Avenue and Cones Road that involved property damage only.
A check of her history reportedly revealed she was previously charged with DWI, first offense, on June 28, 2013; DWI, second offense, on Feb. 24, 2014; and DWI, third offense, on March 3, 2016, all in Louisiana.