New Castle woman charged with DWI in crash that fractured boy's skull
NEW CASTLE, Ind. — Deputies said a New Castle woman was intoxicated when her minivan crashed along a Henry County road, injuring two child passengers, one of them severely.
Makayla Kristine Dalton, 24, was charged Thursday in Henry Circuit Court 1 with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, causing serious bodily injury while driving while intoxicated and public intoxication.
According to a Henry County Sheriff's Department report, deputies about 1 a.m. Wednesday were called to the 800 block of West Henry County 300-N, where Dalton's vehicle had left the road and struck a utility pole.
One child in her minivan was determined to have suffered a head cut, skull fracture and brain bleed. Another young victim had "abrasions and contusions" to his forehead, according to an affidavit.
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Both boys were taken by ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, and the more seriously injured child was then transferred to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
Dalton told police the crash occurred after she tried to avoid hitting a rabbit. She also maintained the children were properly secured in child restraint seats at the time.
A breath test measured the New Castle woman's blood alcohol content at 0.167. In Indiana, a motorist with a BAC of 0.08 or higher is considered intoxicated.
Dalton told a deputy she had consumed "two double shots of Peach Crown (whisky)" about an hour before the crash. She was taken to Henry County Hospital for an examination and blood draw before being transferred to the Henry County jail.
The most serious of the neglect counts against Dalton is a Level 3 felony carrying up to 16 years in prison. Two other charges are Level 5 felonies, each carrying a maximum six-year sentence.
She was later released after posting bond at the jail.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: New Castle woman charged with DWI in crash that fractured boy's skull
