GLENS FALLS A 5-year-old girl was seriously hurt Sunday night when her mother slammed a sport utility vehicle into a large tree while driving under the influence of drugs, (clarified) police said.
The girl was taken to Albany Medical Center with internal injuries that included possible collapsed lungs. Her name was not released, but Glens Falls Police said she remained there as of Monday morning.
Her mother, Heather M. Guetti, 31, of Moose Hollow Way in Queensbury, suffered minor injuries when the Hyundai sport utility vehicle she was driving went through a stop sign at the corner of Lawrence and Prospect streets, hitting a tree head-on at about 7:50 p.m., according to police.
The impact destroyed the vehicle, and as police interviewed Guetti they determined she was intoxicated, Glens Falls Police Sgt. Chris Eggleston said.
Both Guetti and her daughter were taken to Glens Falls Hospital, but the girl was then transported to Albany Medical Center while Guetti was treated and released.
Police initially said Guetti drove under the influence of alcohol, and she refused to take a breath test or allow a blood sample to be taken for testing. They later said she was believed to be impaired by drugs.
She was charged with felony aggravated driving while intoxicated for allegedly driving drunk or under the influence of drugs with the child in the SUV and felony vehicular assault for the girls injuries, police said.
Guetti was also found to have crack cocaine and the prescription drugs Suboxone and clonazepam, which resulted in three misdemeanor charges of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
Eggleston said the childs injuries were serious but not believed to be life-threatening.
We talked to a relative this morning who said she seems to be doing OK, Eggleston said.
Guetti was arraigned and sent to Warren County Jail without bail because she has two or more prior felony convictions, police said.
Glens Falls Police Officer Michael Campbell is investigating the crash.
The arrest was Guettis second drug-related arrest in four months.
She was also arrested on a misdemeanor drug possession count in Kingsbury in October, but that charge was dropped because she showed she had a prescription for the drug she had outside its container.
Don Lehman covers crime and Warren County government forThe Post-Star. His work can also be found on Twitter @PS_CrimeCourts and on poststar.com/app/blogs.