Minden woman arrested after allegedly ramming car into Northern Nevada Coin
UPDATE: A 74-year-old woman has been arrested and faces felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly driving drunk and ramming her car into Northern Nevada Coin late Thursday afternoon in Minden, a Douglas County sheriff's sergeant said.
Cheryl Smith, 74, of Minden was booked into Douglas County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, assault with a deadly weapon and felony destruction of property. Bail was posted Friday morning at $31,509.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday, The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the East Fork Fire and Paramedic District were called to the coin store located at 1621 Hwy 395.
Initial reports indicated that the incident could be an armed takeover of the gold and coin store. This turned out to be false. The motive is unclear, however, Smith allegedly used her white Pontiac Grand Am to ram her way into the building, said Douglas County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Pat Brooks.
Witnesses stated that Smith hit the building approximately three times before breaching the brick building and driving her vehicle into the center of the store. The wall collapsed as the vehicle entered the building, preventing her from backing out of the store.
At the time of the incident, approximately six employees of the gold and coin store were inside the building. No one was injured during this incident; however Smith was transported to the medical center for evaluation.
The extent of damage to the building is substantial and the cost to repair the building is unknown at this time.