UPDATED: According to a report from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, investigation determined that 19 year-old Olivia Staggs, of Benton, was traveling South on Slickback Rd. when she drove off the right side of roadway.
It appeared she over-corrected causing her to cross the northbound lane of Slickback Rd. and into a yard. After striking a few trees, it is believed she was possibly ejected from the vehicle.
Staggs then went to several residences before stealing a truck. The stolen truck and Staggs were located at her residence which was a short distance from the scene of the collision.
Staggs claimed to have no memory of the collision. Marshall County EMS transported Staggs to the Marshall County Hospital and she was later transferred to Vanderbilt Medical center.
The investigation is continuing at this time. Marshall County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Benton Police Department and the Marshall County Ambulance Service.
Original Story:
BENTON – Several citizens in the area of Slickback Rd. were awakened this morning to chaos after finding a vehicle had been crashed and vacated in the front yard of an off-duty police officer’s home and another vehicle had been stolen from a nearby residence.
According to reports from area residents, the incident unfolded shortly before 5 a.m. Resident Brian Andrus said his wife Sarah awakened telling him something was wrong. After completing a check of the interior of his home, Andrus received a phone call notifying him that a car had been stolen nearby.
It was at that time he exited the residence to find neighbors already outside also awakened by the disturbance.
Andrus said as he panned his flashlight around the perimeter of his property, he caught a glimpse of something that caught his attention.
“I’ve seen vehicles involved in fatal collisions that didn’t look as bad as this car did,” he said noting that his 10 year-old Bradford Pear tree which was one of two struck by the vehicle, looked like “a peeled potato.”
Resident David Cassidy says he was awakened to the sound of a “pounding at his door,” but says after getting up and going to the door, no one was there. Cassidy was outside when Andrus emerged from his home and had called 9-1-1 as had his neighbors whose vehicle had been stolen.
After daylight, residents noted that bloody handprints were found on several vehicles in the area.
Law enforcement arrived shortly after where they began investigation. Residents report the stolen vehicle has been located, however, other details involving this incident are being held pending an official report from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.