Woman pleads not guilty in fatal 2010 car crash
The 24-year-old woman, who evaded police and deputy sheriffs for more than a year, entered a plea of not guilty in Circuit Court this morning for allegedly causing the death of a passenger in her car in 2010.
Circuit Judge Richard Perkin set the week of Dec. 3 for the trial of Brittany Poole before Circuit Judge Karen Ahn.
Poole’s bail was set at $20,000 for the negligent homicide charge. She also is charged with driving without a license.
She was arraigned by closed-circuit television from Oahu Community Correctional Center.
Poole was initially indicted by an Oahu Grand jury in August 2011, charging her with first-degree negligent homicide and driving without a license. However, she was only arrested and charged on Saturday because police weren’t able to find her.
City prosecutors said Poole was drinking beer and smoking marijuana while driving around the island with four passengers on Nov. 21, 2010 when she started arguing with her front-seat passenger over her speeding.
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Police said Poole lost control of the car, which then crossed the center line on Kamehameha Highway, hit a rock wall, a parked vehicle and two fences, went airborne and flipped over before slamming into a carport.
A back-seat passenger, Unique Murry, 21, was ejected from the car. He died at Wahiawa General Hospital.
Poole’s blood alcohol content was 0.09, over the legal limit of 0.08, and her car was traveling 69 to 70 mph in a 25 mph zone, police said.
Poole had several previous convictions for driving-related offenses, including a 2009 DUI conviction, four speeding convictions in 2009 and 2010, and two other convictions in 2010 for driving without a licence and driving with an instructional permit unaccompanied by a licensed driver. She also had another driving without a license charge pending at the time of the crash.