A woman is accused of almost hitting a school bus full of students with her truck, as well as concealing drugs underneath her child’s car seat.
The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a possible impaired driver on Pine Cove Road in Taylorsville at about 2:45 p.m. on March 16. The caller said the driver of the Ford F150 pickup truck almost hit a school bus head-on, according to the sheriff’s office.
When two deputies pulled the truck over they saw a 2-year-old in a car seat that wasn’t installed properly. When the deputy moved the car seat, two bottles fell out from under it, said Sheriff Chris Bowman.
They had 83 pills of Dilaudid, a narcotic that’s used to treat moderate to severe pain, and 27 pills of Xanax, an anti-anxiety medicine.
The truck, which has a West Virginia license plate, is not believed to be either driver Kalie Leann Nickels’ or her passenger’s, Dorothy Hofmann’s.
Inside the truck is a child’s fast food meal. Under the driver’s floorboard, a plastic airplane sits next to a chicken strip that spilled from an Arby’s bag. A Capri Sun juice box rests on the dashboard next to the “New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures,” with a marker in the page of Exodus 19-20. Two compressed gas canisters, traditionally used to spray air to clean surfaces, are on the floor.
Investigators discovered that although Nickels’ driver’s license said Trista Ann Nickels, that isn’t her real name. They also learned she’s wanted by U.S. Marshals.
“When checking her fingerprints, we determined her real name was Kalie Leann Nickels,” Bowman said.
Nickels, 27, is from Zephyrhills, Fla. It’s not known what she was doing in Alexander County. However, Bowman said she was wanted by U.S. Marshals in Florida for indictments for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamines.
It’s believed Nickels travels the east coast, selling controlled substances, according to the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office.
Nickels and Hofmann, 46, of Morganton, were both charged with possession of a schedule II controlled substance and possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. Nickels was also charged with driving while impaired. Bond was set at $5,000 for each woman. However, Nickels has a hold on her, Bowman said, since the U.S. Marshal’s office also has warrants for her arrest.
Investigators did not release information immediately about Nickels and Hoffman because of the pending federal investigation.
Nickels’ next court date is April 4. She’s being held in Caldwell County jail.
Alexander County Department of Social Services was called to help with Nickels’ child, which is being handled by North Carolina, not Florida, Bowman said.
The sheriff’s office is continuing its investigation into the incident, and Bowman said more charges could be coming.
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