Cleveland woman accused of driving drunk, hitting bus stop with man inside pleads not guilty

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Cleveland woman accused of crashing into a bus stop while driving drunk, injuring the man inside, pleaded not guilty Friday morning in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

Court records show Kelli Lyn Meadows is facing charges of aggravated vehicular assault and driving under the influence.

The crash happened April 17 in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.

Police said Meadows was driving eastbound on Detroit Avenue when she struck a fire hydrant and telephone pole before slamming into a bus stop near West 83rd Street.

A man, identified to 19 News as Lucas Zhao, was waiting inside the bus shelter when it was hit.

When officers got to the scene, Zhao was bleeding from his head, face, arms and legs.

Zhao was taken to MetroHealth for treatment of critical injuries.

Police said Meadows had difficulty staying steady and was slurring her speech following the crash.

According to police, she told officers she had drank alcohol but did not submit for a sobriety test.

Judge Joan Synenberg continued Meadow’s original $20,000 bond and ruled she cannot have contact with Zhao.

She is due back in court for a pretrial on May 23.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Copyright 2022 WOIO. All rights reserved.