BEDFORD — A 47-year-old Bedford woman was taken into custody Sunday, September 6th, after police said she ran a stop sign, went airborne, and struck a parked vehicle, a dump trailer, and a residential porch before fleeing the scene.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Officer Trevor Shelhart, officers responded around 10:15 p.m. on September 6, 2026, to the area of 11th Street and P Street following reports of a vehicle crash.
Bystanders informed arriving officers that the driver had abandoned a white 2012 Kia Soul in front of 1017 block of P Street and stumbled away, heading south.
Upon inspection of the scene, police found the Kia lodged against a large black dump trailer in the front yard of 1017 P Street. The force of the impact had displaced the trailer and pushed it into the home’s front porch, severing one of the four supporting roof pillars. Officers also observed a 2014 Mazda 3 parked at 1027 P Street with heavy rear-end damage after being struck and pushed into the grass.
A witness told police she heard an engine revving south on P Street before observing the Kia traveling north at high speed without headlights. The witness stated the vehicle failed to stop at the 11th Street stop sign, became briefly airborne as it crossed the intersection, and crashed into the parked Mazda and dump trailer.
The witness reported that when she went to check on the driver, a woman exited the Kia, stated, “I’m not ok, and they’re not ok,” and walked away from the scene. Inside the abandoned vehicle, the witness found a keyring wallet containing an Indiana driver’s license for Rachael Renee Starr, matching the driver’s description.
Officers dispatched to Starr’s nearby residence observed a female, later identified as Starr, 47, attempt to sneak in the back door and run to the basement. Officers entered the basement and took Starr into custody. Police noted that Starr made unprompted statements apologizing for driving, exhibited slow, slurred speech, red, glassy eyes, and had poor balance.
Starr agreed to a chemical test and was transported to IU Health Bedford Hospital, where nursing staff completed a blood draw at 11:20 p.m. The samples were packaged for submission to the Indiana State Department of Toxicology.
Following the medical evaluation, Starr was transported to the Lawrence County Jail and remanded to the custody of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident, and criminal vandalism.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
