Hearing delayed for woman charged in fest injuries

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Attorneys for the woman charged with driving a car through a crowded street festival while reportedly on a drug binge successfully filed to postpone a detention hearing until next week.

Tonya Nicole Bell, 30, of Oxon Hill, was due in Superior Court yesterday before her public defender requested the postponement, saying more time was needed to prepare, according to court documents. The hearing was rescheduled for Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Bell has been held without bond since Saturday, when she is accused of striking 43 persons with her 1991 Volvo station wagon during Unifest, a church-sponsored street festival in Southeast. None of the victims was critically injured.

Witnesses told police that Bell was smoking crack cocaine and laughing behind the wheel as she plowed through the crowded block. Charging documents reported Bell "told police that she had been smoking crack all day."

Police reported that drug and alcohol tests were taken, but results were not available yesterday, said Channing Phillips, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"The investigation is in its early stages," Mr. Phillips said.

Bell, who has three daughters, had her 7-year-old daughter with her in the car during the incident, according to charging documents.

The child was not injured and is in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Bell was arrested and charged with aggravated assault while armed. Charging documents show she has been convicted of other crimes seven times since 1996, with three of those convictions involving cocaine.

Bell's public defender, Daisy Bygrave, declined to comment yesterday.

About 20 minutes before the incident, police spotted Bell driving erratically and striking an unmarked police cruiser. Officers followed her car, but were instructed to end the pursuit because the traffic violation did not pose a threat to officers, authorities said.

They responded after people were struck but didn't use their weapons because of the risk for of harming the others in the crowd.

Authorities said other charges likely would be filed and evidence presented to a grand jury.

As of yesterday, additional charges have not been filed. Authorities would not say when the grand jury would convene.