JAMES CITY Co., Va. - A woman who was denied buying alcohol from a convenience store in Williamsburg after supposedly being drunk has been charged with driving under the influence after police say she caused a four-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon.
At 3:53 p.m., officers responded to a four-vehicle crash in the intersection of Merrimac Tail and Penniman Road.
The preliminary investigation revealed that Carrie Ann Yates, 41, of Quinton, had been trying to buy alcohol at the Speedway convenience store on 2nd Street in Williamsburg. The clerk denied the sale because Yates appeared to be intoxicated.
As a result, police say Yates assaulted the clerk. She then sped away from the store in a 2001 BMW, driving east on Merrimac Trail.
As she approached the intersection at Penniman Road, Yates ran a stop light and hit a 1999 Toyota pickup truck. The force of that collision forced the truck into the westbound lanes of Merrimac Trail, causing the truck to hit two other vehicles, a 2019 Honda Civic and a 2010 Honda Pilot.
The driver of the Toyota, a 53-year-old man from Williamsburg, was airlifted to Riverside Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Police say he was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the Honda Civic, a 22-year-old woman from York County, had no visible injuries, but her vehicle had significant damage.
The driver of the Honda Pilot, a 53-year-old woman from James City County, also had no visible injuries, but police say her vehicle also had significant damage. On January 8, police revealed that she had suffered a broken wrist.
Yates was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center with injuries that are said to not be serious. She was treated and later released.
Police charged Yates with DUI, and she was released on a summons.
On January 7, James City County Police took Yates into custody for four counts of probation violation out of Henrico County. She was then taken to Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
Yates was further charged on January 8 with felony DUI maiming and failure to obey a red light and expired registration. She remains at VPRJ, where she is being held with no bond.
Because the assault on the clerk at Speedway took place in York County, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office is investigating that incident.
This investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges are expected.
