Date: 09-04-2018

Woman arrested after second DUI crash with child in car in nine days

A Keaton woman was jailed and released after a second vehicle crash in nine days in which she was allegedly found to be driving under the influence with a child in her vehicle. 

Patricia Ferguson, 56, was briefly lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center Thursday on charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence and endangering the welfare of a minor.

According to court documents, witnesses stated Ferguson, driving a Hyundai Veloster, pulled out directly in front of another car on Broadway in Paintsville. A child was in her passenger seat at the time of the crash, court documents said.

Officers with the Paintsville Police Department performing sobriety tests noted six out of six clues of possible impairment, according to the citation.

Ferguson, the citation said, admitted to officers that she had taken medication that morning, but claimed it was not narcotic. Officers noted in court documents that an empty bottle of Percocet was found in her purse.

Court documents show Ferguson was released from the jail approximately five hours after she was booked in Thursday.

This case is not Ferguson’s first with this set of charges. On Aug. 21, Ferguson was charged with DUI and endangering the welfare of a minor after allegedly wrecking a 2014 Chevrolet on Ky. 172 with a child in the vehicle. 

Johnson County sheriff’s deputies noted in court documents connected to that case that Ferguson allegedly admitted to taking gabapentin and Percocet prior to that crash.

“She seemed very disoriented and under the influence,” that citation read.

Ferguson is scheduled for an arraignment in connection with the Aug. 21 incident on Sept. 24 in Johnson County District Court.

By Aaron K. Nelson
The Paintsville Herald