- Charges against Sheree Lyn Hudson-Isom were dismissed after evidence showed she may not have been impaired by her prescribed medication.
- She was charged with negligently causing an auto-pedestrian crash that critically injured a 12-year-old boy in October 2023.
SALT LAKE CITY — A negligent driving charge against a woman accused of hitting a 12-year-old and causing serious injuries was dismissed just before trial as prosecutors decided they didn't have enough evidence to proceed.
The charges against Sheree Lyn Hudson-Isom — negligently operating a vehicle resulting in serious injury, a third-degree felony, and failure to yield to a pedestrian's right of way, an infraction — were dismissed on March 10 based on a lack of evidence showing she was impaired. She could still potentially face a lesser charge in justice court.
On Oct. 16, 2023, police responded to an auto-pedestrian crash at 2115 E. Fort Union Blvd. involving a 12-year-old boy who was holding an orange flag in a marked crosswalk when he was hit, according to charging documents. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
A witness told police one car had stopped for the victim and his friend as they began crossing the street, but a Lexus in the next lane over did not. The boy who was hit "was thrown into the air and over the Lexus before he landed in the median," the charges state. They also said the second boy was "visibly traumatized."
Hudson-Isom told police she "tried to slam on her brakes but could not do so in time," according to the charges.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement Tuesday that his office hired an expert witness to look into the level of intoxication that a medication Hudson-Isom was prescribed would cause. Based on that expert's report, prosecutors determined they could not prove she was driving negligently.
"That expert found the defendant was likely not impaired to the extent that it rendered her incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle. This was due in part to a tolerance she likely had to the prescription," Gill said.
Because Gill's office found it was not likely to get a guilty verdict at trial, it decided to dismiss the charges so other prosecutors would potentially have the option to bring a less serious charge against her, he said.
"We believe there is still good support for the filing of a reckless driving charge, but since that is a class B misdemeanor, the city prosecutor for the jurisdiction in which this incident occurred should make that charging decision," Gill said.
The judge granted the dismissal without prejudice, so charges could potentially be filed in the Holladay Justice Court, but none have been filed so far.
