Inset: Ashley Parsons (Scott County Detention Center). Background: The black SUV that authorities say Parsons was driving when she struck a child (Georgetown Police Department).
An elementary school student in Kentucky was walking toward a school bus with its "Stop" sign displayed to the road when a driver smashed into the child and then kept driving, authorities say.
Ashley Dawn Parsons, 39, faces charges including aggravated DUI, first-degree assault, leaving the scene of an accident or failure to render aid, reckless driving, and passing a loading school bus, according to the Georgetown Police Department and jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. She is in the Scott County Detention Center.
On Thursday at about 7:30 a.m., a student was crossing the roadway on Valley Forge Court in Georgetown, Kentucky. The city is located about 15 miles north of Lexington.
The child was walking to a school bus that was stopped and had its "Stop" arm out, police told regional CBS affiliate WKYT. Despite the school bus warning, Parsons allegedly drove her black SUV forward and struck the child — and continued on without checking to see if the student was OK.
Police searched for the vehicle and its driver, and authorities rushed the child to a nearby hospital. The department reportedly said the student's injuries were not life-threatening.
Not long after the crash, police said they identified Parsons and located her. Investigators apparently used help from the community and a camera on the bus, and Parsons was arrested that day.
Scott County Schools told the TV station that the child is a student at Southern Elementary School, which is located in Georgetown. Community members and police emphasized the need for safe driving, especially around school buses.
"A school bus stop should never be a dangerous place for a child," Georgetown Police Operations Captain Lewis Crump told WKYT. "It's extremely important that we pay attention to these school buses; they're painted yellow for a reason, they have flashing lights on them for a reason, we need to give those kids the time to get on and off and get safely back on the sidewalks or off the road."
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