Local woman arrested on drug, battery charges

By: 
Staff Writer Kate Wehlann

Just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, Washington County Deputy Tory Hildreth was sent to a home on West Forest View Road after someone called saying a woman was driving a blue Chevrolet S10 pickup struck onto their property and was trying to hit things with it. Hildreth found the truck parked in the middle of the road in front of the home with the driver, Heather Hobbs, 43, Salem, screaming profanities at the home through the driver’s door window.

When Hildreth engaged his emergency lights, Hobbs drove the truck into the driveway and began trying to reverse back out. Hildreth left his vehicle and told her to pull back into the driveway and when she did, asked her to exit the vehicle and tell him what was going on. Hildreth said Hobbs stumbled from the truck and displayed poor balance, slurred speech and bloodshot, glassy eyes while she spoke with him. Hobbs admitted to not having insurance on the truck and said Hildreth could search it.

While Hildreth searched the vehicle, he found a paraphernalia pipe with burnt material and residue inside in the front passenger seat. Hobbs told him the substance in the pipe was marijuana. Hildreth also found two empty plastic bottles of Hot Damn! Liquor, one in the front passenger seat and one in the floorboard. Hobbs admitted to drinking half a bottle that day, but refused to submit to a portable breath test or field sobriety tests. She claimed the only things in her system was alcohol and marijuana. After Hildreth read her the Indiana Implied Consent Warning, she told him she wouldn’t take a chemical test, either.

Hildreth told her to turn around so he could place her in handcuffs and she began quickly walking to her vehicle and sat down in the driver’s seat. Hildreth managed to keep her from closing the door and getting the keys into the ignition. She ignored his loud verbal commands to stop and continued to try to start the truck with her right hand and pushed and swatted at Hildreth’s hand. Hildreth removed Hobbs from the vehicle and escorted her to the ground. After a fight, Hildreth managed to gain control and placed her in handcuffs and in the front passenger seat of his patrol vehicle.

Deputy Joseph Keltner arrived to assist and helped Hildreth place Hobbs in a leg strap as she had been raising her legs and kicking the dash and center console of the vehicle.

The pipe was collected as evidence and the substance was tested and found to be marijuana.

Hildreth took Hobbs to St. Vincent-Salem Hospital, with Hobbs repeatedly threatening to get out of the leg strap to kick his teeth out and calling him vulgar names.

Judge Frank Newkirk signed a warrant for Hobbs’s blood and urine and her BAC was .196.

Hobbs was transported to the Washington County Detention Center by Deputy Matt Hein and Hildreth, who told the officers on the way that when she got out, she would track them down and give their children drugs. While reviewing Hobbs’ driving history, Hildreth discovered she had been convicted for failure to provide proof of insurance following a wreck in 2014.

Hobbs was preliminarily charged with: operating a vehicle while intoxicated, operating a vehicle while intoxicated per se, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, resisting law enforcement, maintaining a common nuisance, battery, intimidation and operating a vehicle without proof of financial responsibility.

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