Gracie Burns
A 21-year-old woman is facing a multitude of charges after police said she crashed into another car while intoxicated and then fled the scene.
On Friday police responded to a traffic crash where one driver was reported to have fled the Cherokee Boulevard scene. The driver who had remained on scene told law enforcement that a white vehicle had driven from a side street and hit their passenger side.
When police searched the area, they found a white BMW with “extensive front end damage and leaking fluid” in a parking lot about a block away. According to the police report, witnesses approached police and said they saw two white females leaving the scene and calling an Uber.
The witnesses said they attempted to stop the women from leaving but were unable to before the two suspects got into the Uber. The driver was described as “a brunette female approximately 5’7" wearing dark pants and a dark jacket” and the passenger as “a blonde female with light blue pants.”
When police ran the registration on the BMW, it came back belonging to Jeremy Burns as the owner and Gracie Burns as the driver. According to the police report, while obtaining witness statements, Gracie Burns, 21, approached police and said the BMW was her vehicle. She said someone had stolen it and had been driving it.
Police said they noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath and that she appeared unsteady. According to one of the witnesses, Ms. Burns was seen fleeing the scene after crashing into the victim’s car. The witness said the pair ordered an Uber because one of the two was under 21 years of age.
Because police decided Ms. Burns had already fled the scene once and was intoxicated, she was a risk to flee again and thus was taken into custody. According to the police report, Ms. Burns said she was scared of being caught, which is why she told police the car was stolen.
Ms. Burns was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, failure to render aid and due care, and reckless endangerment.