Updated 3 p.m. July 9.
A Missouri woman was arrested after causing multiple crashes while driving at high speed through the Bellefonte area on Tuesday afternoon, according to Spring Township police.
Trista J. Lawson, 36, of St. Louis, admitted to driving a gray Mazda sedan 120 mph while passing other vehicles and said she was “listening to the voice of God” at the time, police wrote in a an affidavit of probable cause.
Officers were dispatched to the 100 block of West College Avenue at about 2 p.m. for a multi-vehicle incident that involved a pickup truck crashing into the corner of Smoke N Go Express and a car crashing in front of a residence across the street. While en route, officers learned multiple hit and runs and other traffic incidents, all involving a vehicle matching the same description, were being reported from the Zion area on East College Avenue into Pleasant Gap, police wrote.
Centre County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived first on the scene and detained a woman, later identified Lawson, who was attempting to flee by trying to get on a flat bed truck traveling westbound, according to the affidavit.
Police determined that Lawson entered the intersection of South Main Street and College Avenue at a high rate of speed, passed a tractor-trailer and went airborne after striking a curb, according to the affidavit. Her car then hit the truck and the two vehicles came to rest in front of the house and the smoke shop.
Police wrote in a Facebook post that the investigation found Lawson struck multiple vehicles while traveling at high speed prior to the crash on West College Avenue.
Lawson allegedly told police that she “had no reason but God told her to drive fast.” She has no ties to the area and “was just traveling because God told her to,” police wrote.
She consented to a search of her vehicle and officers found psilocybin mushrooms, THC products and smoking devices, according to the affidavit.
Lawson is charged with three misdemeanor counts of accidents involving damage to attended property, one misdemeanor count each of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a small amount marijuana and four summary traffic violations.
She was arraigned by District Judge Gregory Koehle and was unable to post $25,000 straight bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 16.
Anyone who may have witnessed a gray Mazda sedan with Missouri plates being driven erratically on East College Avenue is asked to contact Spring Township police at 1-800-479-0050.
