ST. GEORGE — Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene of a rollover on state Route 18 near mile marker 6 on Tuesday evening.
When they arrived, it was discovered that the Jeep had allegedly rolled off a cliff from a hiking trail near the highway before coming to rest on its side on the state highway.
The first calls came in to dispatch just after 7 p.m. from a vehicle telematic alarm reporting an incident at the intersection of Silver Cloud Drive and Ledges Parkway at The Ledges of St. George, a local golfing community.
“Witnesses and victims reported the white Jeep fled the scene, driving south on a bike path from the scene of the crash,” according to the probable cause statement filed in court.
The reporting party stayed on the phone with dispatchers and reportedly said the woman was “racing down” the bike path that runs parallel to the highway traveling south toward Snow Canyon Parkway.
“The white Jeep drove off the bike path, through a chain link fence, rolled down a cliff face and collided with a guard rail along SR-18,” the arresting officer wrote.
Gold Cross Ambulance transported the woman to St. George Regional Hospital. Officers identified the Jeep’s registered owner, Cheri Jean Slater, 30, as the driver. Photos provided by witnesses reportedly confirmed she was the sole occupant of the vehicle at the time of the incident.
After being medically cleared by hospital staff, Slater was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility. She was booked on charges of DUI and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving injury.
At the top of a hill from the hiking trail near the wrecked Jeep, metal fence posts and fencing were knocked to the ground.
A metal pole could be seen protruding from the windshield of the Jeep as it was winched back onto its wheels and loaded onto a tow truck.
Utah Highway Patrol also responded to the scene.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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