BEDFORD – A Bedford woman was arrested on alcohol and drug charges after being stopped for a traffic violation.
Police arrested 59-year-old Donitta Bell on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of marijuana.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on Sunday, May 26, Bedford Police Officer Sarah Haluda stopped Bell’s vehicle at 12:10 a.m. after she spotted a dark-colored SUV with a headlight out traveling north on Mitchell Road.
The driver of the SUV was also traveling 46 miles per hour, 11 miles over the posted speed limit.
Officer Haluda initiated a traffic stop at 22nd Street and Mitchell Road. Bell continued, made a right turn onto 22nd Street, and pulled into a parking lot at 22nd and M Streets.
Bell had a passenger in the vehicle. When Officer Haluda approached the vehicle she detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Bell told police she knew she had a headlight out. She was then asked about the marijuana, and she said she had just dropped someone off and they must have had the marijuana. Both Bell and her male passenger became defensive with Officer Haluda.
Officer Haluda asked both to step out of the vehicle, and both became argumentative, saying they didn’t give her permission to search the vehicle. Bell was told she didn’t need permission to search the vehicle because of the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Once out of the vehicle, Officer Haluda could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from Bell. She was asked to participate in a field sobriety test, and at first, she refused. She ultimately agreed but said she needed to use the restroom and requested to go to her home which was just around the corner.
While Bell was submitting to the field sobriety tests, the male passenger told police there was marijuana in the vehicle and that he and Bell had smoked it shortly before getting into the vehicle to drive home from French Lick.
During the test, Bell said she “needed to pass gas” and walked away while giggling. She then told police the “tests were annoying.”
While walking heel to toe, Bell was walking “dramatically.”
Bell then admitted there was marijuana in the vehicle, and she had smoked some about an hour before she began to drive. Bell then stated the marijuana was used “medically and not recreationally.”
Bell consented to a blood draw and was placed in the rear of a patrol vehicle.
During a search of the vehicle, police found a black container with two hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes, a partially burnt marijuana cigarette, and several burnt ends of marijuana cigarettes.
The male was released and allowed to walk home to wake a sober driver to take possession of the vehicle.
Bell was transported to the Bedford Police Department, where she took a SoToxa test. SoToxa is a handheld analyzer that uses an oral fluid swab to detect the presence of six kinds of drugs: cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, cannabis (THC), amphetamine, and benzodiazepines. Bell tested positive for marijuana.
Bell was then transported to IU Health Bedford Hospital for a blood draw. She was then transported to jail on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of marijuana.
