Laporte woman arrested for DUI after crash near Bemidji

A woman from Laporte has been arrested for first-degree DUI following a vehicle crash near Bemidji on March 14. According to Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes, a call about a hit-and-run incident was received at 10:39 a.m. that day. The crash occurred at the intersection of Hubbard County Road 9 and U.S. Highway 71. Scott Lauderbaugh, a 56-year-old driver from Bemidji, reported that a vehicle turning onto County Road 9 hit his pickup truck. The female driver asked him not to call the police because she didn't have a driver's license or insurance. She provided her name and address on a piece of paper before leaving the scene. Lauderbaugh gave law enforcement the license plate number, which matched the name and address she provided. Officers then went to the woman’s home in rural Laporte and found her vehicle in the driveway. Victoria Whitefeather, a 34-year-old, was found asleep inside her car when the officers arrived. Whitefeather admitted to being involved in the crash. She said she was coming from a liquor store. Officers noticed she smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and was unsteady on her feet. After failing field sobriety tests, she was arrested for DUI. A search of her vehicle revealed an open bottle of vodka, marijuana, Gabapentin pills, and cash. At the station, Whitefeather agreed to a breath test, which showed an alcohol concentration of .10. She has been charged with felony first-degree DUI and has a prior DUI conviction from 2013 linked to a fatal crash.