FAYETTEVILLE -- A woman convicted of negligent homicide in connection with the 2011 death of a city Transportation Division employee was arrested Sunday, according to authorities.
Jo Jackson, 53, of 4002 N. Zion Valley Drive was arrested in connection with second offense driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license, according to police reports.
A caller reported at 9:07 p.m. Sunday a white Toyota sports utility vehicle drove over the curb and hit a trash can at Sonic Drive-In, 2908 N. College Ave. The caller also reported the vehicle drove through the median and almost struck another vehicle on College Avenue.
Police located the car at the Sonic and described Jackson as having bloodshot, watery eyes and a strong odor of intoxicants on her breath, according to a preliminary arrest report. Her speech was slurred and her movements were slow, according to the report. Jackson told police she was unsure if she hit the trash can, according to the report.
She told police she drank a couple of glasses of wine. When asked to get out of the vehicle for a field sobriety test, Jackson told police she wasn't wearing any pants or underwear and was covering herself with a blanket, the report states.
Jackson complied with one sobriety test, but refused to take others because of her state of undress, according to the report. When asked why she was driving without those articles of clothing, she said she was just going to get dinner.
While searching Jackson's vehicle, police found a small, empty bottle of wine in the cup holder, according to the report.
Jackson previously was arrested in connection with the Sept. 23, 2011, death of Jackie Luper, 57, of West Fork.
Luper and two other workers, Bradley Robbins, 34, of Farmington, and Bret Horn, 30, of Springdale were injured when Jackson drove into a construction zone in front of Butterfield Trail Village on Joyce Boulevard. Luper died at Washington Regional Medical Center the next day. Robbins and Horn were not seriously injured.
Her 12-year-old daughter was in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
Jackson was arrested Sept. 24, 2011, in connection with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and other misdemeanors, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Zolpidem, a prescription sleeping medication, was found in Jackson's system at the time, according to a toxicology report.
Jackson pleaded guilty and was convicted of negligent homicide and third-degree battery in 2012 and was sentenced to six months in the Washington County Detention Center and one year of probation, according to news reports.
Jackson was released Monday morning from the Washington County Detention Center on a $1,780 bond. She is due in Fayetteville District Court on July 14.
NW News on 06/10/2014