46-year-old woman charged with DUI following alleged hit-and-run crash in Caroline County

CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A woman has been charged with DUI following an alleged hit-and-run crash in Caroline County Sunday afternoon.

In the afternoon on Sunday, March 23, a deputy with the Caroline County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a vehicle that drove away from the scene of a three-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of Route 1 and Paige Road.

Witnesses reported that the vehicle that left the scene -- a brown Toyota Echo -- was heavily damaged and smoking as it drove south on Route 1, fleeing from the crash scene.

Officials said another witness saw the vehicle driving away and followed the smoke to a home off of nearby Cedon Road.

The sheriff's office said the deputy arrived at the home where the crashed Toyota had driven and found an unidentified male occupant and a woman -- identified as 46-year-old Darcia Yvette Bass -- inside the vehicle who were "seemingly unaware of the serious crash they endured."

Both people inside the vehicle then reportedly acknowledged the crash, and "blamed each other for driving," according to the officials.

Bass reportedly smelled "strongly of alcohol, yet insisted she wasn't the one behind the wheel." The male occupant reportedly said he was not driving due to a suspended license from a previous DUI conviction.

After reviewing evidence, the sheriff's office determined Bass was driving at the time of the crash. She was arrested and charged with DUI with a blood alcohol content greater than .20 and felony hit-and-run.

Bass was held without bond at the Pamunkey Regional Jail.

No injuries were reported in the crash, according to officials.