A woman accused of driving into a Centralia home, injuring a resident, while drunk early Saturday morning pleaded not guilty to vehicular assault and hit-and-run charges in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
The defendant, Ashley Alamanza Campos, 28, of Centralia, was allegedly driving down Gold Street when she hit and damaged a parked vehicle and then crashed into a residence in the 200 block of Cherry Street just after 3 a.m. on March 25. The injured resident later told law enforcement she was asleep in her bedroom at the time and “woke up to a vehicle being on top of her then backing off of her,” according to court documents.
The victim was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined “she had a hole in her lung” that was likely caused “by the vehicle driving over her.”
Law enforcement were unaware someone was injured in the crash when they first responded, according to court documents, as the reporting party simply stated a vehicle ran into a house, fled the scene and was parked at a nearby bank.
When contacted in her vehicle by an officer with the Centralia Police Department, Campos allegedly told the officer “just take me to jail,” according to court documents.
Campos was reportedly unable to exit her vehicle due to the damage it sustained in the crash. The officer reportedly “had to press down on the running board in order to get the driver’s door open,” according to court documents.
Once Campos was outside the vehicle, the officer reportedly noticed signs of impairment, including slurred speech and unsteadiness.
When questioned, Campos allegedly said “she had ‘four shots of hard A a couple hours prior,” according to court documents.
A breathalyzer test taken at the scene reportedly came back with a blood alcohol content reading of .081, according to court documents.
The officer later found what is described in court documents as a “baggie of green vegetable matter believed to be marijuana and a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine” on her person, according to court documents.
A man who was reportedly with Campos earlier that night but was not in the vehicle at the time of the collision arrived at the scene “to get his jacket, which was inside the vehicle” while the officer was questioning Campos, according to court documents. Campos had reportedly called the man to tell him she had just been in an accident and, when the man texted he was on his way, Campos allegedly replied “Cops are here. Bye bye.” The man reportedly indicated he and Campos were drinking together earlier that night.
While one officer was investigating Campos for a possible DUI charge, another officer arrived at the Cherry Street residence to investigate the damage caused by the crash. When he arrived, he learned one of the residents had been injured, according to court documents.
The officer reportedly found “several pieces of plastic” from Campos’ vehicle that were left behind in the residence, including a piece of the front bumper that had the license plate attached.
Campos was taken to a local hospital, where a blood draw was taken, before she was booked into the Lewis County Jail.
While her bail was set at $50,000 over the weekend, Judge Joely Yeager raised Campos’ bail to $100,000 at Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masielo’s request.
Masielo asked for the higher amount “given the severity of the event and the outlandishness of the incident,” he said Monday.
While Campos’ defense attorney said he didn’t believe Campos was a flight risk and asked for reduced bail, Yeager cited significant community safety risk and the allegation that Campos fled the scene of the crash as reasons for setting high bail.
A trial setting hearing for Campos’ case is scheduled for Thursday, April 6.
