Man charged with negligent homicide after pedestrian struck in Oaklawn parking lot

HOT SPRINGS — A man is charged with negligent homicide after police say he was intoxicated when his pickup struck an 80-year-old woman in the Oaklawn parking lot late Saturday night.

Matthew Charles Lewis faces charges of negligent homicide while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated and refusal to submit to a chemical test, according to Garland County court records. All three charges are dated Sept. 19.

Hot Springs police were called to the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort parking lot at 2705 Central Ave. about 11:47 p.m. Saturday for a report of a vehicle that struck a woman near the entrance, according to scanner traffic.

LifeNet paramedics upgraded the call to the highest priority for a head injury and called a trauma alert to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs for an 80-year-old woman who was unconscious, according to the radio traffic. Hot Springs firefighters rode in with the ambulance.

An officer reported one person in custody at 11:55 p.m., and dispatch returned the registration on a 2018 Ram pickup, according to scanner traffic. Officers later requested paperwork for a search warrant to draw the driver’s blood and asked the on-call Criminal Investigation Division supervisor to call the scene.

Court records show Lewis was arrested at 11:55 p.m. Saturday.

Police have not released the woman’s name. The negligent homicide charge indicates she died, but the court record does not say when.

Lewis appeared in custody by video Monday afternoon before Judge Ralph Ohm Petro in Hot Springs District Court, where the judge found probable cause for the case to continue. No plea was entered, and a public defender was appointed. Bond was set at $30,000 cash or surety.

Negligent homicide involving an intoxicated driver is a Class B felony in Arkansas, punishable by five to 20 years in prison. The case is expected to be bound over to Garland County Circuit Court.

Hot Springs police had not issued a statement on the crash as of Tuesday morning.