NASHVILLE, Ind. — A Nashville woman faces multiple charges, including operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death and reckless homicide, after crashing into a Brown County grocery store.
Police and firefighters responded to the Brown County IGA on Hawthorne Drive around 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 4 on a report of a vehicle that crashed into the building.
Investigators determined 41-year-old Amanda Beaver was driving a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer when she hit the building. A male passenger in the vehicle, 64-year-old Randal Darrell Duncan, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
A probable cause affidavit revealed responding officers found Beaver sitting next to a hole in the IGA where a vehicle was sitting. An IU Health paramedic was inside the vehicle helping Duncan, who was trapped.
Officers reportedly observed Beaver sitting down by the vehicle with "glassy eyes, a blank distant stare and sluggish, clumsy movement," according to the affidavit. Beaver allegedly asked how her passenger was, but officers told her they couldn't provide an answer.
Eyewitnesses said they saw a car driving at high speeds go into the IGA building, and that there was no braking or attempt to avoid a collision. Beaver allegedly confirmed to police on scene that she was driving the car.
Medics then pronounced Duncan dead at the scene, at which point Beaver reportedly became "hysterical," according to police accounts. Beaver reportedly consented to a chemical test, but she was unable to blow hard enough. A blood draw was reportedly later completed.
Beaver was taken to IU Health-Bloomington for treatment of injuries before being released to the custody of the Brown County Sheriff's Office.
Police said video surveillance from a nearby business reportedly showed Beaver's Trailblazer speeding in the direction of the IGA. Officers did not find breaking marks or scuff at the scene when they returned a few days after the crash.
Beaver is being held at the Brown County Jail and is charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated - resulting in death, reckless homicide, operating a vehicle while intoxicated - resulting in serious bodily injury, operating a vehicle while intoxicated - endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal recklessness.