Hit & Run Crash

On June 30th at around 2:15 a.m., police were dispatched to the area of N. Lacrosse Street and E. Disk Drive for a hit and run crash that had just occurred. It was reported that a gold SUV had collided with a flatbed truck before leaving the scene. Police located the suspect vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on the SUV in the 1600 block of E. Mall Drive. Contact was made with the driver and immediately noted the strong smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from her person. The driver was identified as 26-year-old Melanie Jones of Rapid City, and officers observed an open alcohol container in the vehicle. Following a DUI investigation, Jones was placed under arrest for DUI. During a pre-tow inventory of the vehicle, officers located several jeweler’s baggies with a white residue inside, several syringes, and snort tubes, one of which was field-tested and returned positive for methamphetamine. Ultimately, Jones was placed under arrest for DUI, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, No Proof of Insurance, and a Traffic Signal Violation. She was transported to the Pennington County Jail.