The Waterloo woman involved in a July 15 crash in Columbia that seriously injured a New Athens girl was charged this week in Monroe County Circuit Court with felony aggravated DUI.

Katherine A. Brinkley, 26, of Waterloo, is currently serving time at Logan Correctional Center on a parole violation stemming from incidents that occurred in St. Clair County just prior to the crash that evening on Route 3 at Veterans Parkway in Columbia.

On Thursday, Brinkley entered a not guilty plea to the felony charge at the Monroe County Courthouse. Court information alleges that on the evening of July 15, Brinkley drove a 2001 Lexus while under the influence of drugs when she was involved in the injury crash. Her bond was set at $100,000 and she was remanded to the custody of Logan Correctional Center with a local court date of March 2 set.

Columbia police said Brinkley’s Lexus SUV was traveling northbound on Route 3 shortly after 9 p.m., when it collided with a white 2009 Pontiac G6 driven by Brett Luther, 18, of Columbia, which was crossing Veterans Parkway eastbound through the intersection with Route 3. Luther was transported by Monroe County EMS ambulance to St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis County for treatment of a head injury. His passenger, Nikki Warnecke, 17, of New Athens, required extrication from the car by firefighters and was flown by ARCH Air Medical Services helicopter to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Brinkley was not injured in the crash and was escorted from the scene to the police station for questioning.

Shortly after the crash, Brinkley was charged in St. Clair County with three felony counts of aggravated battery involving a victim above 60 years of age plus charges of fleeing police, reckless driving, no drivers license and other traffic violations following an incident in Belleville the same night of the crash. Police said there was no chase involving Brinkley in Columbia that night, but witnesses did report a vehicle matching the same description as Brinkley’s traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Route 3 shortly before the crash occurred.

Brinkley has a prior conviction in St. Clair County for possession of a methamphetamine precursor stemming from a 2011 arrest. In May, she was charged in St. Clair County with possession of a controlled substance.

Warnecke was in a coma for more than a week following the crash and suffered a brain injury in addition to a lacerated liver and broken pelvis.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for her lengthy recovery: www.gofundme.com/5d3udwd53w.

Family members have reported steady improvement in Warnecke’s condition via the Facebook group “Nikki’s Prayer Ninjas.”