An allegedly impaired mother with a baby on board was arrested after allegedly crashing a Cadillac on Christmas Eve.
Lauren Ray Howerton-Wells, 35, of Webster, was driving a 2018 Cadillac XT5 utility vehicle at 5:21 p.m. on Christmas Eve on County Road 747 in unincorporated Sumter County when she failed to yield to a 2008 Toyota Tundra pickup resulting in a collision, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. A three-month-old girl was riding in the vehicle.
A deputy investigating the crash suspected Howerton-Wells was under the influence of drugs. She became confused and began to cry during field sobriety exercises.
A burnt marijuana joint was found in the Cadillac’s center console. She was in possession of “several bottles of her prescribed medical marijuana wax and oils,” according to the arrest report. She also had multiple bottles of Xanax, Adderall and other prescribed drugs in the vehicle, as well as a glass pipe. She refused to provide a urine sample.
Howerton-Wells was arrested on charges of driving under the influence with property damage, child abuse, and possession of drug equipment. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $400 bond.
