VANDERBURGH CO., Ind. - Drivers in the readership area are all too familiar with tooling along down our Midwest highways and watching oncoming vehicles swerve right into our lanes before realizing they're about to cause a wreck.
Most of the time this is due to cell phones, as people just can't seem to put them down long enough to get from point A to point B. But even more dangerous are those who are on substances...which tends to be a LOT of people around here.
Witness this piece coming to us from Vanderburgh County, Indiana, the county seat of which is Evansville, Indiana's second most populous city.
Indiana State Police advise that this morning (Monday, February 18) at approximately 7:50 a.m., Trooper Hunter Manning stopped the driver of a 2018 Ford Edge for speeding in the construction zone on US 41 near I-69. The vehicle was clocked by radar at 59 mph in a 45 mph zone.
When Trooper Manning approached the vehicle, he detected an odor of marijuana. The driver was identified as Mackenzie D. Bryant, 25, of Evansville. She had her 6-month-old child restrained in a forward-facing child safety seat. Children under the age of one year and 20 lbs. are required by law to be restrained in a rear-facing child safety seat. The seat belt was installed around the child safety seat, but the seat belt was not secured properly.
A roadside field sobriety test indicated Bryant was impaired. Further investigation revealed she had smoked synthetic marijuana earlier this morning. Bryant refused to submit to a chemical test. She was arrested and taken to the Vanderburgh County Jail where she is currently being held on bond. The Department of Child Services took custody of the child.
Arrested and Charges:
Mackenzie D. Bryant, 25, Evansville, Ind.
- Driving While Intoxicated with a Passenger under the age of 18, Class 6 Felony
- Possession of Synthetic Marijuana or Synthetic Look-Alike Substance, Class A Misd.
- Speeding
- Child Restraint Violation