lorettalockhorn
08-08-2009, 06:40 PM
LITTLE ROCK — A woman whose three sons drowned when her car plunged into Brewer Lake in April had a blood-alcohol level less than that considered legally intoxicated while driving in Arkansas, but she also had marijuana and another drug in her system, a laboratory report shows.
Amber Turley, 26, was arrested Friday on three felony counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the April 19 deaths of her sons, Aaron, 8, Alex, 7, and Anthony, 2.
Turley, who lives in the Morrilton area, was later released on$5,000 bond, said Deputy Johnathan Trafford of the Conway County sheriff’s office. If convicted, she could face up to six years in prison on each count.
Turley's blood-alcohol level was 0.05 percent, according to a state Crime Laboratory report filed Friday with the Conway County circuit clerk’s office. The level where a driver is considered legally intoxicated in Arkansas is 0.08 percent.
The blood-screening test also tested positive for marijuana and benzodiazepines, according to the report. The latter is a class of drugs that includes Xanax, Valium and Klonopin among others, said Ryan Black, chief forensic toxicologist for the Crime Lab.
Black was commenting in general and not specifically on Turley’s case.
Many benzodiazepines are available by prescription, Black said.
Some, such as Valium, act as a sedative while Xanax, for example, is generally prescribed for anxiety.
“It’s common to find benzodiazepines taken totally legitimately,” Black said.
“In general, you should not take any benzodiazepines with alcohol. Benzodiazepines and alcohol can strengthen the effect of each other.”
The laboratory report, dated April 23, did not specify amounts of any drugs other than the blood-alcohol level.
If authorities request it, the laboratory can test for the amounts of drugs in blood samples, Black said. The time range of when a drug could have been taken can vary depending on the amount taken and the individual’s physiology, he said.
Asked if a 0.05 percent alcohol level with these drugs could have impaired a person driving at night, Black said, “I wouldn’t want to characterize without knowing the facts of the case - how much was present in the blood.”
The April accident occurred when, in the pre-dawn darkness, Turley turned onto a then-unbarricaded road that led directly into the lake, which provides the water supply for Conway. Relatives have said Turley told them that she got the children out of the vehicle but could not rescue them from the lake near Plumerville.
Turley’s father, Larry Hopkins, said Thursday that she would have no comment. The Associated Press reported Friday that Turley’s attorney is Dale Lipsmeyer. He did not return phone messages from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette seeking comment.
Autopsy results confirmed that the children drowned, according to Crime Lab documents filed with the circuit clerk’s office.
A handwritten note on one document, titled “Cause of Death” for Anthony Turley and signed by Dr. Stephen A. Erickson, deputy chief medical examiner, said the manner of death was pending a complete investigation. It added, “Case is strange at best as to circumstances and may represent homicidal neglect or worse.”
Neither Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum II of Danville nor Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jeremy Landon could be reached for comment by telephone Friday.
Relatives have said Turley was headed home after dropping off her boyfriend when the children began fussing. They said she missed a turn and instead headed down Johnny Walker Road, through an open gate and into the man-made lake, 13 miles off Arkansas 92.
Relatives also have said the road leading to the lake was a hazard because it was not barricaded. Conway, which owns the reservoir, has since placed three concrete highway barriers at the road’s end and installed reflective signs advising motorists to drive to the left toward a parking lot.
This article was published today at 7:25 a.m.
Arkansas, Pages 11, 17 on 08/08/2009
Amber Turley, 26, was arrested Friday on three felony counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the April 19 deaths of her sons, Aaron, 8, Alex, 7, and Anthony, 2.
Turley, who lives in the Morrilton area, was later released on$5,000 bond, said Deputy Johnathan Trafford of the Conway County sheriff’s office. If convicted, she could face up to six years in prison on each count.
Turley's blood-alcohol level was 0.05 percent, according to a state Crime Laboratory report filed Friday with the Conway County circuit clerk’s office. The level where a driver is considered legally intoxicated in Arkansas is 0.08 percent.
The blood-screening test also tested positive for marijuana and benzodiazepines, according to the report. The latter is a class of drugs that includes Xanax, Valium and Klonopin among others, said Ryan Black, chief forensic toxicologist for the Crime Lab.
Black was commenting in general and not specifically on Turley’s case.
Many benzodiazepines are available by prescription, Black said.
Some, such as Valium, act as a sedative while Xanax, for example, is generally prescribed for anxiety.
“It’s common to find benzodiazepines taken totally legitimately,” Black said.
“In general, you should not take any benzodiazepines with alcohol. Benzodiazepines and alcohol can strengthen the effect of each other.”
The laboratory report, dated April 23, did not specify amounts of any drugs other than the blood-alcohol level.
If authorities request it, the laboratory can test for the amounts of drugs in blood samples, Black said. The time range of when a drug could have been taken can vary depending on the amount taken and the individual’s physiology, he said.
Asked if a 0.05 percent alcohol level with these drugs could have impaired a person driving at night, Black said, “I wouldn’t want to characterize without knowing the facts of the case - how much was present in the blood.”
The April accident occurred when, in the pre-dawn darkness, Turley turned onto a then-unbarricaded road that led directly into the lake, which provides the water supply for Conway. Relatives have said Turley told them that she got the children out of the vehicle but could not rescue them from the lake near Plumerville.
Turley’s father, Larry Hopkins, said Thursday that she would have no comment. The Associated Press reported Friday that Turley’s attorney is Dale Lipsmeyer. He did not return phone messages from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette seeking comment.
Autopsy results confirmed that the children drowned, according to Crime Lab documents filed with the circuit clerk’s office.
A handwritten note on one document, titled “Cause of Death” for Anthony Turley and signed by Dr. Stephen A. Erickson, deputy chief medical examiner, said the manner of death was pending a complete investigation. It added, “Case is strange at best as to circumstances and may represent homicidal neglect or worse.”
Neither Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum II of Danville nor Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jeremy Landon could be reached for comment by telephone Friday.
Relatives have said Turley was headed home after dropping off her boyfriend when the children began fussing. They said she missed a turn and instead headed down Johnny Walker Road, through an open gate and into the man-made lake, 13 miles off Arkansas 92.
Relatives also have said the road leading to the lake was a hazard because it was not barricaded. Conway, which owns the reservoir, has since placed three concrete highway barriers at the road’s end and installed reflective signs advising motorists to drive to the left toward a parking lot.
This article was published today at 7:25 a.m.
Arkansas, Pages 11, 17 on 08/08/2009