Inset: Mia Kelli Winkel (Madison County Jail). Background: The area in Indiana where Winkel allegedly crashed her car while drunk and fled the scene (Google Maps).
A 31-year-old Indiana mother is accused of driving drunk with children in her SUV when she allegedly crashed into a truck, abandoned her kids — one of whom broke a rib — and fled the area on foot.
Mia Kelli Winkel was arrested earlier this month and charged with six felonies: one count of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, two counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and three counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, court records show.
The case began when Anderson police officers responded to a reported crash near the intersection of 23rd Street and Central Avenue, according to a report from Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN. The area is about 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
On arrival, first responders found a black SUV flipped on its side and leaning against a power pole. When officers looked inside the vehicle, they found multiple children, but no driver, The Herald Bulletin reported.
A witness told police that the SUV struck a truck, flipped and hit the power pole. The witness added that the driver climbed out and ran from the scene.
One of the children in Winkel's SUV reportedly suffered a broken rib, while a child in the truck she allegedly struck sustained a broken arm.
Police identified Winkel as the driver of the SUV and soon found her at her home in the 2200 block of Main Street, which is about three blocks from the scene of the crash. Officers said that as Winkel was being arrested, she could not stand on her own, and they described her as "very upset," according to WXIN.
While she was being transported to St. Vincent Hospital for a medical evaluation, Winkel allegedly admitted "multiple times" that the crash was her fault. She also "repeatedly asked whether anyone was dead," the Bulletin reported, citing court documents.
At the hospital, Winkel reportedly told officers she did not remember the crash or even driving the SUV. After a portable breath test reportedly registered Winkel's blood alcohol concentration at 0.221, medical staff took a blood sample for additional testing.
Winkel appeared for her initial hearing in Madison County on Oct. 8. She is being held in the Madison County Jail on a $50,000 bond. The court docket also shows that prosecutors filed a notice of intent to seek habitual offender status for Winkel.
It was not immediately clear when Winkel was scheduled to make her next court appearance.
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