A 39-year-old Kentucky woman is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday after police alleged that a vehicle struck a 10-year-old child who was crossing the street to board a stopped school bus in Scott County.
Ashley Parsons faces charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, first-degree assault, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident or failing to render aid. Her arraignment was set for 1 p.m. in Scott County District Court.
What the arrest citation alleges
According to WKYT’s account of the citation, officers responded August 20 to the intersection of Bunker Hill Drive and Mount Vernon Drive. They were told that the vehicle failed to stop for the school bus’s extended stop sign, struck the child and left.
The child’s name is not being published. The initial court report did not provide a current medical update.
Investigators later located a similar vehicle with what the citation described as new front-end damage. The registered owner reportedly told officers that the damage was new.
Police describe statements from the accused driver
The citation alleges that Parsons acknowledged driving while intoxicated and being in the area, but said she did not remember striking a child. During a later interview, she reportedly remembered seeing the stopped bus but not its stop sign.
Those statements and the charges are allegations that prosecutors must prove. An arraignment is an early court appearance, not a determination of guilt, and the publicly available report did not include a plea or response from Parsons or her attorney.
The case returns attention to the bright red stop arm that should require no translation: when a school bus stops for a child, traffic stops too.
Facts first. Side-eye included.
DJF separates what is confirmed from what is claimed—and tells you why this particular mess is worth your time.