She’s accused of drunken driving and recklessly endangering lives of her children
A 37-year-old Union Grove woman, who is accused of recklessly endangering the lives of her two children after driving her car into a retention pond while drunk last October, will face a preliminary hearing on the charges Jan. 22.
The woman and children were reportedly forced to swim out of windows in the vehicle to the edge of the pond, which authorities estimated was 12 feet deep.
Sheila Bell appeared in Racine County Circuit Court last week at a proceeding in which the court determined probable cause and continued the conditions of a $2,000 signature bond, which prohibits Bell from driving and consuming alcohol or controlled substances.
Bell is facing two counts of recklessly endangering safety and two counts each of operating while intoxicated and prohibited alcohol content – second offense, with a minor child in the vehicle.
According to the criminal complaint filed Nov. 20, Bell and her two children, ages 11 and 13, had to swim to safety Oct. 12 after their car plunged into a retention pond near the Marcus movie theater located along Highway 20 in Sturtevant.
Bell flagged down a Village of Sturtevant police officer along Highway 11 at 10:45 p.m., more than a mile from the accident scene.
The officer noted that Bell and her children were wet and he took them to his squad car to warm up.
The officer took bell and her children back to the accident scene, but he was unable to locate the car. The officer did note, however, that tire tracks indicated a vehicle jumped a curb near the theater, and headed down an embankment – narrowly missing a tree – before disappearing in a retention pond.
The complaint estimates the water in the pond was 12 feet deep at the time.
Bell told the officer that she and her children escaped through widows and swam to the side of the pond.
While questioning Bell, the officer noticed an odor of alcohol on her breath and he asked her if she had been drinking. She allegedly told the officer she had something to drink earlier in the evening, but nothing since seeing the movie with her children at the theater. Authorities contend the movie ended about 9:15 p.m.
According to the complaint, Bell failed sobriety tests administered by the officer and blew a .22 blood alcohol content on a portable breath test. Legal evidence of intoxication is .08 BAC.
She was later taken to a hospital for a blood test, which allegedly indicated a BAC of .17. According to the complaint, Bell was convicted of drunken driving in March 2008.
Bell’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 22 in Racine County Circuit Court.
-
-
-
-
-