Wichita police detective granted diversion in off-duty drunken driving crash with city bus

Amy Renee Leiker
·2 min read
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A Wichita police detective who crashed into a city bus while reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol in downtown last year has entered into a diversion agreement with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Wichita police said previously that Detective MaryAnna Hoyt was behind the wheel of a blue Mazda 3 that hit a Wichita Q Line bus around 11:50 p.m. Sept. 23, 2022, at Douglas and Waco. Hoyt, who was off duty when the accident occurred, showed signs of impairment, police said at the time. She was jailed on suspicion of driving under the influence and subsequently charged with the misdemeanor crime in Sedgwick County District Court.

The alcohol concentration in her breath was .146, according to a notice to appear and complaint — more than the legal limit of .08 to drive in Kansas. The city bus received minor damage, but no one was hurt, police have said.

Hoyt, 38, of Wichita, was approved for diversion and signed the associated agreement on March 2, the same day she was scheduled for a disposition hearing in the case, according to DA spokesman Dan Dillon and court records. She will be on diversion for one year, Dillon said.

If she follows the terms of her diversion agreement, the case will be dismissed. If she doesn’t, the DA’s office can continue prosecuting her.

Hoyt is also appealing a Jan. 13 Kansas Department of Revenue decision to suspend her driver’s license for a year, arguing in a petition for review that her arrest lacked probable cause because there “was no reasonable grounds to support” breath testing. She has temporary driving privileges, pending the outcome of a May 1 bench trial on the matter, court records show.

Hoyt was placed on administrative leave after her arrest. She remains employed with the Wichita Police Department and is currently assigned to the agency’s Crimes Against Persons division, WPD spokesman Officer Trevor Macy said in an email.

Hoyt has worked for the department since Sept. 4, 2007.