Woman arrested after fatal crash in Johnson

Shelley Stevenson, 27, of Craftsbury was traveling east when she crossed the center line colliding with the westbound vehicle of 59-year-old Eileen O’Brien of Johnson, who was entrapped in the car.

Emergency personnel worked to extricate O’Brien from her vehicle, but she died at the scene.

O’Brien had sustained severe internal injuries and a compound fracture to the femur.

Stevenson was transported to Copley Hospital for evaluation of minor facial injuries and a broken ankle.

After her release she was arrested for suspicion of DUI. According to police, Stevenson’s blood alcohol content was 0.054 at the time of the crash — below the legal limit — but after performing a roadside sobriety test, they called in a drug recognition officer and applied for a search warrant for a blood test.

The warrant was granted, but it could take weeks before police get a toxicology report back, Marcoux said.

“We suspect that there were drugs involved,” said Lamoille county Sheriff Roger Marcoux.

Stevenson was arraigned in St. Johnsbury on Thursday on a felony charge of gross negligence with death resulting.

She was released on an appearance bond and ordered not to drive.

A third vehicle, driven by 53-year-old Janice Bradley of Johnson, received minor damage in the crash. Bradley had been traveling behind O’Brien when she was struck, and was able to slow down enough before colliding with Stevenson’s vehicle. Bradley was not injured.

The Vermont State Police Crash Reconstruction Team assisted with processing the crash scene. The Vermont State Police also assisted with one of their drug recognition experts. Morristown Police Department and Vermont State Police assisted the Lamoille County Sheriff's Department with calls in the area.

This story was updated on Nov. 10.