Investigators believe that the woman was under the influence of a controlled substance when she was apprehended
Credit: Bexar County Sheriff’s Office
NEED TO KNOW
- Authorities said that they arrested a woman after she drove through an active crime scene and ran over a dead body that had already been fatally struck by a car
- Tionne Spears, 26, is believed to have been under the influence when she drove into the crime scene; investigators are trying to determine what substance she was on after finding something believed to be khat in her car
- Two other cars were involved in the initial accident but are not currently suspected of any wrongdoing
A woman was arrested in Texas after running over an already dead body on the scene of an active investigation.
On Feb. 27, 26-year-old Tionne Spears was apprehended by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office after driving into the barricaded crime scene, where investigators were looking into the death of a 61-year-old man who had been knocked over by one car and fatally struck by another car on Highway 211.
In a press conference attended by KSAT, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said that the man, who has not yet been identified, was difficult to see while he was "walking across the dark roadway."
A first driver seemingly clipped the victim with a side mirror, knocking him to the ground. Salazar said that a second car didn't have time to react and accidentally ran the man over, causing his death.
Both drivers from the first two cars stayed and spoke to authorities. Salazar said that they "don't suspect any criminal wrongdoing on their part."
An investigation was commenced, and the crime scene was cordoned off with a cover put over the victim as a team of investigators took measurements and did other necessary work.
At that point, Salazar said that Spears' car "went around the barricades and actually went into the crime scene." Her car ran over the corpse, and she nearly hit two investigators on the scene, who managed to avoid being hurt.
Salazar said that Spears was believed to be intoxicated, but he was waiting for the results of the toxicology report to come back and determine what substance, if any, she'd been using.
He said that she was found with a substance believed to be khat, "a stimulant" that he said was "native to Africa." The drug reportedly makes people more resistant to feeling pain when they take it, with Salazar saying that it "does have some extremely measurable effects on the human body."
Spears was taken to the Bexar County Adult Detention Center and faces charges of driving while intoxicated, abuse of a corpse and possession of a controlled substance, according to Salazar.
“I’ve been doing this job 33 years now and never heard of somebody barreling through a crime scene like that and running over a dead body that’s already on the roadway,” Salazar told the assembled press at the event.
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He said that investigators were still looking into why the man was walking on the side of the road. However, Salazar added that he "may have also been intoxicated."
A black Chrysler 300 that was registered to him had been found nearby, but it's not clear why he exited the vehicle.
No one else was injured as a result of Spears' crash.
PEOPLE contacted the Bexar County Sheriff's Office for updates but did not hear back at the time of publication.
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