Woman charged in fatal hit-and-run that left teacher and father of 10 dead
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - Prosecutors charged a 27-year-old woman in connection to a crash that killed a middle school teacher.
Kyrie Fields of Oregon, Wisconsin, was charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, KCTV reports.
A probable cause document stated Charles Criniere, a husband and father of 10 children who also was a teacher at Martin City Middle School, was struck and killed while riding his bike the morning of Aug. 27.
Law enforcement found car parts at the scene of the incident and learned that a white Acura MDX was the suspect vehicle. Police found that the car had been set on fire the day after the fatal crash. The document stated that the parts found matched the suspect vehicle.
After detectives found that Fields was the driver of the Acura, they arrested her Monday. While being interviewed, police said she told them she was texting a friend, high on Percocet, and had taken her eyes off the road when she struck Criniere.
Fields also said she was unsure who burned the car, the document stated.
The court record also said Fields admitted to cleaning the car at a friend’s house after the crash, and that there had been blood on the front of the vehicle after the incident.
Prosecutors are requesting a $100,000 bond.
A fundraiser has been set up by a family friend to benefit the Criniere family. Visit GoFundMe to donate money to the family.
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