HS woman found parked in middle of roadway charged with third DWI
A Hot Springs woman found inside a vehicle parked in the middle of the roadway late Monday was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated for a third time.
Lisa Gale Baggett, 38, who lists a Malvern Avenue address, was taken into custody at around 10:30 p.m. and charged with misdemeanor counts of DWI, third offense, and refusal to submit. She remained in custody Tuesday in lieu of $2,000 bond and is set to appear in Garland County District Court on May 23.
According to the affidavit, at approximately 10:02 p.m., Garland County sheriff’s deputies Bennie Strickland and Ricky Garrett were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle on Indian Springs off Malvern Avenue and found a woman, later identified as Baggett, behind the wheel of a vehicle parked in the middle of the road with the keys on the center console.
Strickland noted Baggett was yelling profanities and he could tell she was impaired. Deputy Clayton Green arrived on scene and asked Baggett what was going on and she allegedly began to yell profanities at him and was slurring her words.
Green states he smelled a strong odor of intoxicants on her breath and noted she was so unsteady on her feet that Garrett had to keep her from falling over. He attempted to administer a horizontal gaze nystagmus test multiple times, but Baggett would not follow instructions and continued to yell and curse at him.
Green was unable to conduct the one leg stand or walk and turn tests because Baggett allegedly could not stand up without assistance. She submitted to a portable breath test which reportedly registered her blood alcohol content of 0.29 percent, over three times the legal limit.
Green placed Baggett into custody and she allegedly continued to scream at him while waiting for a wrecker. Once at the detention center, it was discovered Baggett was previously convicted of DWIs in July 2012 and April
2015, both in Hot Springs.
Green said Baggett continued to yell and swear at him as he read her rights and she refused to take another breath test at the detention center. Green noted Baggett should have had an interlock device in her vehicle, which was installed Oct. 28,
2015, but he did not see one in the vehicle.