Authorities arrested and charged a 22-year-old Clarkesville man with driving under the influence after he ran into a woman in the Walmart parking lot in Cornelia.
According to a preliminary report by the Georgia State Patrol, Howell Reese Mendenhall was driving a Chevrolet Impala east through the parking lot just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The car crossed over the main travel lane and ran into Nereida Luviano, who was sitting on a bench outside the store. The car then struck the building, the report states.
An ambulance transported the 36-year-old Luviano to the hospital with suspected serious injuries. The wreck did not injure Mendenhall. Online jail records show he was charged with DUI refusal and failure to exercise due care, both misdemeanors.
Mendenhall was booked at the Habersham County jail and released on a $2,000 bond.
