A day of shopping turned into a scary ordeal last week after a woman was hit by a car in a shopping center parking lot. The driver of the vehicle was later arrested for driving under the influence and for not having a valid driver’s license.

According to Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Joseph Van Bommel, on Tuesday, December 28, at approximately 10:50 a.m., 76-year-old Beverly Jones was walking out of the Dollar Tree, in the parking lot towards her vehicle, when she was struck by white 2011 Dodge Avenger driven by 58-year-old Joseph Hunter. Hunter had been backing out of his parking spot when the incident occurred.

DeKalb EMS, Smithville police, and the Smithville Fire Department responded to the scene. Jones was transported to Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital, and later airlifted by Lifeflight to Vanderbilt Medical Center.

During an investigation, authorities say that they observed signs of impairment on the part of Hunter and that he admitted to smoking marijuana. Trooper Van Bommel also reported that Hunter performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tasks.

Hunter was charged with driving under the influence (second offense), vehicular assault, driving while suspended, and no driver license. He is under a $16,000 bond and is due to appear in court on February 10.

On Sunday, December 26, one person was injured during a one-car crash on Highway 56 at Pine Creek Bridge.

According to the THP, 44-year-old Amanda Knowles was driving north on Highway 56 in a 2019 Nissan Rogue when she crossed the center line, ran off the left side of the roadway, and struck a guardrail face and bridge end. The impact caused the vehicle to rotate, striking the bridge rail with the car’s right side before coming to a final rest in the roadway.

DeKalb EMS, the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department, and the DeKalb County Fire Department responded to the scene. Knowles was injured, but a passenger, 28-year-old Mercedes Porter, was not.