Sikeston woman gets prison time for running over two other women

NEW MADRID, Mo. — A Sikeston woman will spend 10 years in prison in connection with striking two people with a motor vehicle.

Mercedes Faith Hankins, 22, was sentenced to 10 years in custody of the Department of Corrections on an Oct. 28, 2022, charge of first degree assault or attempt – serious physical injury or special victim. Hankins entered a guilty plea before Circuit Judge Josh Underwood in Division I of New Madrid County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

According to the probable cause statement by New Madrid County Sheriff Deputy Corey Sisk, he was called to a residence in Lilbourn following a report of a pedestrian hit by a car. At the scene, he observed two females lying in debris from a front porch and a vehicle with apparent front-end damage in front of the house.

Hankins, who was sitting in the vehicle’s driver’s seat, stated she had run over the victims. As Sisk placed Hankins in his patrol car he wrote in the probable cause that she “asked me if I could roll the windows down so she could hear the screams of her victim’s pain.” Also he noted she stated she would run over them again if given the chance.

A witness told the officer the vehicle ran over the victims who were standing on the porch. The witness added the driver then backed the vehicle up and ran over them a second time.

One of the victims had injuries to both her legs, including an open fracture to the left leg, and was air-lifted to a Memphis hospital.

The second victim had apparent injuries to both legs and was taken to a hospital in Cape Girardeau.