CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield woman is facing charges after allegedly being found under the influence of drugs with two, young children in the backseat of her vehicle.
Laurajean N. Hill, 27, has been charged by Officer Elliott Neeper of the Lawrence Township police with two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children; three misdemeanor counts of DUI controlled substance; and summary criminal trespass.
On Wednesday Hill had her preliminary hearing continued until 10:30 a.m. Jan. 16 during centralized court at the Clearfield County Jail.
The charges stem from when Hill was found passed out inside her vehicle Oct. 29 at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Clearfield, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
A witness provided officers with a vehicle description and registration. Upon running the information, it was learned the vehicle was registered to Hill.
On-scene, the described vehicle was located in Row 7 and police recognized the driver as Hill. The keys were in the vehicle’s ignition, and it was running in “auxiliary mode.”
Hill was reportedly slumped over the steering wheel and gear shift, and Neeper and Officer Craig Kanour attempted to make contact with her.
In the backseat, officers saw an infant in a car seat and another 5- to 6-year-old child. They had to yell at Hill multiple times before they were able to wake her.
Hill showed “groggy” behavior and motor skills, according to the affidavit. When asked, she neither knew how long she had been there nor what time it was.
Hill said she was there with her boyfriend and waiting for him to come out of the store. She was questioned if she was even permitted to be there.
She was banned from Wal-Mart property due to a prior retail theft, police said. She claimed she thought she could be in the parking lot, just not in the store.
Police advised Hill she wasn’t permitted on the property at all. She was also told that it wasn’t “normal” to fall asleep in the parking lot and to step outside the vehicle for field sobriety tests.
Because officers observed signs of impairment, Hill was asked to submit to an examination by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) at the station, which she agreed to.
During the examination, Neeper reportedly observed signs of impairment again. Hill was asked what types of drugs or medications she was on and she allegedly said Suboxone and Percocet, and she’d used methamphetamine as recently as the week before.
Hill was then taken to the Clearfield Penn Highlands Hospital for a legal blood draw and to the Clearfield County Jail on a probation violation.
Laboratory results showed that Hill was under the influence of caffeine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine, police said.