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Paraplegic woman to be charged with DUI
0710 chelsea smith
Chelsea Smith

A paraplegic woman with a checkered driving past is headed to Effingham County Jail, after she gets out of the hospital.

According to the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Chelsea Smith, 23, ran her Chevrolet Impala into a ditch near Bloomingdale. An Effingham deputy was writing her a citation for driving under the influence and was talking with another witness when Smith gunned the engine and took off.

“The deputy had asked for her keys,” said ECSO spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor, “but she had another set of keys.”

Since Smith is a paraplegic, the deputy could not get her out of her car and into his patrol car. He was waiting for a jail transport vehicle to arrive.

Smith took off at a high rate of speed, according to ECSO reports, and eventually crashed into a Pontiac G8 being driven by a pregnant woman, who also had a child as a passenger in the car, on Zeigler Road. No serious injuries were reported.

Smith was taken to the Effingham Hospital emergency room for evaluation and then to Effingham County Jail, Ehsanipoor said. She was charged with DUI, attempting to elude officers and reckless driving.

“She has been arrested several times on traffic-related charges, including DUI,” Ehsanipoor said.