INDIANAPOLIS — A warrant has been issued for the arrest of an Indianapolis woman accused of being involved in a northeast Indianapolis hit-and-run crash in August that left a man in critical condition.
Around 2 p.m. Aug. 1, IMPD officers were dispatched to East 46th Street and Eastbourne Drive, near Emerson Avenue, on a report of a serious hit-and-run.
According to court documents, before arriving on scene, officers were told by dispatchers that witnesses said the driver – and only occupant – of a gold 2005 Chevy Impala had exited the vehicle and ran from the scene. Witnesses told police the woman, later identified as Stephanie Sandlin, ran into a wooded area west of the intersection and was bleeding.
When officers arrived on scene, they said they discovered a 2011 Chevy pickup truck was headed south on Eastbourne Drive when it was T-boned on the driver side by the Chevy Impala.
According to court documents, witnesses pulled the unconscious driver out of the pickup truck, and medics took him to Eskenazi Hospital for treatment. Both cars were then towed.
Court documents say IMPD and IFD searched the wooded area for Sandlin but couldn't find her.
Detectives then spoke to a witness who had a photo of Sandlin and said he allegedly watched her get out of the Chevy Impala and run from the scene, holding her purse.
According to court documents, one of the officers on scene was then dispatched to the 6100 block of Nimitz Drive, near East 21st Street and North Arlington Avenue, on a report of a stolen gold 2005 Chevy Impala. Police said they spoke to the registered owner who said her friend picked her up around 1:30 p.m., the same day as the hit-and-run, to go grocery shopping. She told police when she was finishing up her shopping, it suddenly dawned on her that she left her car unlocked with the keys in the ignition.
She then told police when she came back home around 3 p.m., her car was gone. She told police she doesn't drive her car because she doesn't have a license, so she drove it from her home to the 6200 block of Commodore Drive to leave it parked on the side of the road.
Court documents say when detectives asked her why she would do something so strange, she told them she has a "shared driveway" and there "wasn't enough space for her vehicle." The owner told police she chose this specific location because her son had previously lived there.
According to court documents, on Aug. 2, detectives served a search warrant on the 5400 block of South Belmont Avenue on a gold 2005 Chevy Impala. During the search, police said they noticed that the driver side airbag was covered in blood. They also said they saw several deposit slips from a local Great Clips that had "Stephanie S." on them and multiple pieces of mail addressed to "Stephanie Sandlin," the same address that the owner of the vehicle left her car at.
On Aug. 3, court documents say detectives went back to the registered owner to ask if she knew Sandlin, and she said she had never seen her and doesn't know her. However, there was a different woman at the home who told police she knew her and that she did Sandlin's hair in 2018 but hadn't seen her since.
Later that day, court documents say police went to the Great Clips location listed on the deposit slips and spoke with an employee who said Sandlin hadn't worked there in about a week. She also told police they were aware of missing money/deposits.
According to court documents, on Aug. 8, detectives received a call from the manager of Great Clips saying that Sandlin called her on Aug. 1 several times between 1:50 p.m. and 2:34 p.m. The manager told police in one of the calls, Sandlin sounded "distraught" and said she had been in an accident but it "wasn't her fault." Sandlin then allegedly told the manager that she may have broken her foot and her car was totaled. The manager told police Sandlin ultimately never came into work.
A warrant was issued for Sandlin's arrest on charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death of catastrophic injury, leaving the scene of an accident with moderate or serious bodily injury and auto theft.
