WASHINGTON CITY, Utah — A woman has been arrested in connection with the deaths of two brothers who she allegedly hit while driving under the influence Saturday afternoon.
Julie Ann Budge, 47, was booked into the Washington County Jail on two felony counts of automobile homicide, two felony counts of DUI with serious bodily injury, two felony counts of failure to remain at the scene of an accident, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving.
Police say Budge hit two men on bicycles on Telegraph Street in Washington City, about eight miles northeast of St. George. 48-year-old Matthew Bullard and 49-year-old Adam Bullard, a pair of brothers from Whittier, California, died from their injuries. They were participating in the "Spring Tour of St. George" timed bike ride.
When officers responded to the scene, Budge reportedly told them she had "various medical issues" and had began uncontrollably defecating herself without warning. She said this caused her to swerve and hit the Bullards, who she said she didn't see. She also said they were stopped, although police said they were riding westbound in the bike lane. Budge was going in the same direction, and she said she couldn't get her car to stop after the crash until it died several hundred yards from the crash site.
READ: Bicyclist injured in hit-and-run in West Valley City
Police conducted field sobriety tests, all of which they said Budge failed. She told them she had been taking fentanyl through an IV drip since being admitted to the hospital the day before.
She was then arrested, and police secured a warrant for and collected a blood sample.
Budge is being held in jail without bail. Police wrote in the probable cause affidavit that she was convicted of DUI in 2015.
