PARAGOULD, Ark. — A Paragould woman faces multiple charges after police say she was caught speeding while allegedly intoxicated, with a young child in the vehicle.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers stopped 39-year-old Sarah Jean Moncada on Monday, July 24, after receiving an anonymous tip that a driver was traveling at a high rate of speed and had reportedly come close to colliding head-on with another car. Police observed Moncada driving 84 mph in a 60 mph zone, the affidavit stated.
During the stop, officers noted that Moncada had a small child in the back seat of her vehicle. They also reported detecting a strong smell of alcohol, observing her slurred speech and bloodshot, watery eyes, and spotting an open container of alcohol in her vehicle’s center console, according to the court document.
Moncada declined to take a preliminary breath test but agreed to perform field sobriety tests. Police alleged that the results of those tests showed evidence of impairment. She was then transported to the Paragould police station for further testing but reportedly refused to provide a breath sample for blood-alcohol testing.
On Saturday, District Judge Curtis Hitt determined there was probable cause to charge Moncada with multiple offenses, including driving while intoxicated, endangering the welfare of a minor, reckless driving, and refusing to submit to a chemical test.
Moncada is being held at the Greene County Detention Center on a $10,000 cash-only bond. Court records did not indicate whether Moncada had legal representation at the time of her initial appearance.
No injuries were reported in connection to the incident.