RICHMOND, Va. — The driver accused of striking and killing a 23-year-old woman and then fleeing the scene on Monday evening, has been denied bond.
Latesha Coleman, 41, is charged with charged with felony hit-and-run in connection to the crash.
Hope Cartwright (via Scripps News Group of Richmond)
Coleman appeared before Judge Victoria Pearson on Wednesday in Richmond General District Court and was denied bond.
Investigators determined Hope Cartwright, 23, was crossing 2nd Street eastbound in the crosswalk when a vehicle making a left turn from East Cary Street struck her.
Cartwright, an associate editor at Virginia Living magazine, died at VCU Medical Center.
The prosecution said Cartwright just left her work nearby and was crossing lawfully with a white pedestrian walking sign when she was hit.
She was more than halfway through the intersection, they said.
“[Hope] did everything she was supposed to,” the prosecution told the judge.
A nearby home with a camera provided police with the video of the crash that helped detectives track down Coleman’s pickup in front of her house about an hour later, they said. Prosecutors added that cameras and license plate readers throughout Richmond tracked the pickup’s route.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office said the video shows the defendant briefly slow down after impact but pulling away.
They said Coleman told detectives she thought she hit a curb and that investigators “noticed an odor of alcohol.”
But the prosecutor pointed out that there are no curbs or medians anywhere near the middle of the intersection where Cartwright was struck. They also said Coleman was driving on a suspended license but at one point did have a CDL license.
Cartwright’s mother flew in from Michigan, her aunt flew in from Florida and other family members and friends traveled from Northern Virginia and New York to attend the hearing. Coleman’s daughter and another relative was also in the courtroom.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office played the crash video for the judge — and the judge noted “it is clearly daytime” and the victim’s white hat was “very visible.”
The Commonwealth’s Attorney urged the judge to deny bond citing Coleman’s criminal history of drug possession and selling convictions, petit larceny conviction, and several failure to appears dating back to 2002.
The defense called the crash “a very tragic situation” and said they “understand the severity of the situation.”
They said the last time Coleman was charged was 2015.
They said Coleman is a lifelong Richmond resident, is unemployed and lives with her 21-year-old daughter, and is “cooperative with the investigation.”
Coleman’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 10.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call RPD Crash Team Detective Quinn at 804-646-6190 or contact Crime Stoppers by calling 804-780-1000 or using the P3 app.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Group of Richmond.
