FREDERICTON - A young New Brunswick woman faces three charges in a fatal hit-and-run last August that killed a woman in a motorized wheelchair.
Darcie Victoria West, 20, of Chipman sobbed as the charges were laid in a Fredericton courtroom Wednesday.
West is charged with leaving the scene of an accident knowing that someone had been seriously injured. She's also charged with attempting to impede justice by destroying evidence and with intimidating witnesses.
Dianne Trottier, 33, died on Aug. 30, a day after being struck late at night while crossing a downtown intersection.
A CBC producer from Toronto, Trottier was working temporarily in Fredericton when the accident occurred. She had been in the city for less than a week to help launch a new suppertime news program.
Trottier, who was in a wheelchair her entire life, was active in sports, particularly wheelchair hockey.
Fredericton police Const. Ralph Currie said a 50-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman also face charges and are due in court March 31.
West is in custody pending a bail hearing Monday.
The arrests followed a lengthy investigation and pleas to the public for information.
Currie said that tips from the public played a role in the investigation.
"I believe they were a great asset," he said. "That valuable information led us to where we are today making these three arrests."
Shortly after the accident, police released a description of a dark, four-door General Motors car.
Currie said police believe that a dark-coloured Chevrolet Cobalt they seized on Feb. 4 was the vehicle involved.
Despite the arrests, he said they are still asking anyone with information on the accident to contact them.
