Late Thursday night in Glendale, a wrong-way drive on Loop 101 ended with a smashed median and a long list of felony charges for a Tempe woman, authorities say.
Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers identified the driver as 24-year-old Carissa Wynter Creely. Investigators say she was behind the wheel of a black passenger car seen heading south in the northbound lanes of Loop 101 near Maryland Avenue just before midnight.
According to ABC15, a DPS sergeant tried to stop the car, but the driver reportedly steered around the patrol vehicle, corrected her direction and sped off. Moments later, the vehicle crashed into a raised median on Glendale Avenue.
Creely was taken into custody and booked into jail. ABC15 reports she faces multiple counts, including aggravated DUI related to wrong-way driving, aggravated DUI while suspended, unlawful flight, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and endangerment. DPS said the investigation is ongoing.
Why wrong-way incidents keep happening on the 101
Wrong-way driving has been a recurring and stubborn safety problem on the Loop 101, enough that the Arizona Department of Transportation rolled out a high-tech pilot program aimed at catching it faster.
ADOT's wrong-way detection report details how thermal cameras, illuminated wrong-way signs and dynamic freeway message boards are used to detect and flag wrong-way vehicles in real time. The systems are designed to alert freeway operators and law enforcement so troopers can try to intercept drivers before a collision.
Even with that technology, serious crashes still happen. Local coverage has highlighted a separate wrong-way crash in Scottsdale earlier this month that sent six people to the hospital, underscoring how little time there is to react when a vehicle appears in the wrong lanes on a busy freeway.
Charges and legal risks
Arizona law does not treat aggravated DUI lightly. Under the state's DUI statutes, aggravated DUI can be charged when certain factors are present, such as driving under the influence while a license is suspended. Those aggravated counts are typically prosecuted as felonies with stiffer penalties and mandatory minimum sentences.
The Arizona Legislature lays out the classifications and minimums in its DUI code, and legal guides note that aggravated DUI under ARS 28-1383 carries substantially higher consequences than a standard DUI. Separate charges such as unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle and aggravated assault on an officer can add even more felony exposure if prosecutors prove intentional evasion or assault.
DPS had not released additional details about possible injuries or the full scope of the investigation at the time of reporting. ABC15 reports that Creely was booked into jail on the listed charges. Troopers are asking anyone who may have dash-cam footage or information about the incident to contact DPS as the case moves toward arraignment.
