CLEARFIELD – The case against a DuBois woman charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence was discussed in Clearfield County Court Friday.
Jackie Lynn Beach, 38, is also facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, DUI, recklessly endangering another person and summaries.
The charges stem from an incident June 24, 2016 around 9:30 p.m. when the vehicle Beach was driving allegedly struck a pedestrian on West DuBois Avenue in DuBois.
She later told police that she realized she hit an object and turned around to go back to the scene. There she saw the victim and she called 911.
Beach’s attorney Blair Hindman filed an omnibus pre-trial motion to suppress statements Beach made to police prior to her being read her Miranda rights.
Hindman stated during a hearing to discuss the motion on Friday, that Beach made statements in answer to questions by police regarding her prescriptions and medication.
Beach’s DUI charge is not alcohol but drug-related.
Officer Lance Thompson of the DuBois City police testified about his contact with Beach after he arrived on the scene.
He said the street was already shut down and there was a man lying by the side of the road. The driver, later identified as Beach, admitted to him that she struck the man.
After getting her license, insurance and vehicle registration information, she told him that she was driving back to work when she heard a thud. She then turned around and returned to the scene where she saw the man.
Thompson said he asked her if she had been drinking or if she had taken any medication. She responded that she had taken lexapro. She also said her prescription for adderal had expired, but she took her daughter’s medication in its place.
Thompson described her as anxious, jittery and talkative. He could see her pupils were constricted so he had her perform field sobriety tests.
After, he asked her if she had taken anything else because of her reactions in the test. She then told him that she had taken a small piece of Subutex for a migraine, he testified.
Thompson said he called for a Drug Recognition Expert, or DRE. He told Beach she was under arrest and put her in handcuffs.
When asked by District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr. if he read Beach her rights at any time during their conversation, he said no, but said a trooper did read her rights to her after she was taken to the DuBois City police station.
Thompson said Beach’s car was impounded and taken to the station. He explained it is their policy to take an inventory of items in vehicles they impound. During this inventory process, they found several clear ziplock bags scattered throughout the vehicle.
In her purse was a wallet that contained another bag with a small red pill, later found to be Subutex in it. At this point, the inventory was stopped and a search warrant was requested.
A further search of the vehicle after they received the warrant didn’t uncover anything else.
Under cross examination, Hindman asked when her rights were read to her, and Thompson testified this was done by the state trooper just before he gave her additional sobriety tests.
Thompson said she agreed to a blood test, claiming that they wouldn’t find anything else in her system.
At the preliminary hearing testimony revealed that the results of the blood test showed Beach had both amphetamine and lamictal in her system.
At the completion of Thompson’s testimony, Hindman asked for a transcript of the hearing.
Judge Paul Cherry then gave Hindman 30 days after his receipt of the transcript to provide briefs on the suppression issue and Shaw 15 days to respond.
