DUI Mom Crashes Car ‘Unrestrained’ 3-Month-Old Baby Suffers Injuries

TEXARKANA, TEX. (THECOUNT) — A Texarkana woman was arrested Sunday following a vehicle crash after driving drunk with a 3-month-old infant in the front seat — unrestrained and wearing only a diaper in near-50-degree weather. The incident happened after an altercation with her boyfriend, authorities said. Cheyenne Foster, 33, was booked into the Bi-State Jail on charges of driving while intoxicated with a minor passenger, child endangerment, and assault family violence causing bodily injury. Her bond was set at $180,000, and she was released Monday after posting bond.

According to the Texarkana Police Department, officers received a disturbance call at approximately 3:30 a.m. from a man reporting that he and Foster had gotten into a physical altercation following a night of heavy drinking at their Breckenridge Street home. Before officers arrived, Foster had left the residence with the couple’s infant child and was reported to be heading toward a relative’s home in Ashdown, Arkansas, approximately 30 miles west of Texarkana.

Officers immediately began searching for Foster due to concerns about her level of intoxication and the safety of the child. Foster eventually answered her phone and told officers she had been involved in a crash — but repeatedly refused to disclose her location out of fear of arrest. After more than an hour of searching, officers were able to ping her phone, which led them to Hush Puppy Road just south of the Red River, near the Texas-Arkansas state line.

Officer Robert Wright located the vehicle in a ditch. Foster was found passed out in the driver’s seat. The 3-month-old was lying in the front passenger seat, not secured in a baby carrier. The windows were down, the temperature was approximately 48 degrees, and the child was dressed only in a diaper, according to the Texarkana Police Department.

Foster was not reported to have sustained injuries. LifeNet EMS responded to the scene and checked both Foster and the infant. The child was transported by ambulance to Christus St. Michael Hospital and treated for what appeared to be a minor chest injury believed to have occurred during the crash. After Foster was evaluated at the hospital, she was taken into custody and booked into the Bi-State Jail.

“Please never drive impaired — and certainly not with your kids in the vehicle,” the Texarkana Police Department said in a public statement.

Texarkana, Texas, is a city in Bowie County in the extreme northeastern corner of the state, located approximately 180 miles northeast of Dallas. It forms a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas, divided by State Line Avenue, which follows the Texas-Arkansas state line through the heart of the community. The combined population of both cities was approximately 65,500 as of the 2020 census, with a broader metropolitan area encompassing Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas, totaling approximately 149,000 residents. The area is part of the Ark-La-Tex region, so named for its position near the borders of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

The Red River, which forms Bowie County’s northern boundary and separates Texas from Oklahoma and Arkansas to the north, runs near the area of Hush Puppy Road where Foster’s vehicle was found. Ashdown, the community Foster was reportedly heading toward, is the seat of Little River County, Arkansas, located approximately 30 miles west of Texarkana via U.S. Highway 82.

Christus St. Michael Hospital, where the infant was taken for treatment, is one of Texarkana’s primary medical facilities and serves as a major regional health center for the Ark-La-Tex area. The Bi-State Jail, where Foster was booked, is a shared correctional facility serving both Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas.

The Texarkana Police Department’s investigation is ongoing. No additional charges had been announced as of the time of this report.

The approximate location of the crash on Hush Puppy Road south of the Red River can be viewed on Google Maps (approximate).

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