Authorities link wrong-way crash into deputy’s vehicle to intoxication assault

Published 12:20 am Thursday, January 21, 2021

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A 32-year-old Beaumont woman has been indicted for intoxication assault for an Aug. 1 wrong-way crash that injured a sheriff’s deputy.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Stephanie Hayes was driving a 2007 Saturn Vue in the wrong lane of travel in the 5500 block of Eastex Freeway when she struck a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office patrol unit.

The officer was unable to speak with Hayes at the scene, police noted, due to the extent of her injuries, though another officer noted the odor of an alcoholic beverage on Hayes while she was still in the vehicle.

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The deputy suffered severe injuries including multiple broken bones.

A warrant to collect a specimen of Hayes blood was drafted, signed by a judge and executed.

The specimen was later logged into property at the Beaumont Police Department for testing. Due to Hayes’ injuries, she was released at the hospital for medical treatment.

A warrant was issued for her arrest.

An indictment is not a final conviction of guilt; it is only a ruling by the grand jury that allows the district attorney’s office to proceed with a criminal case.