ALFRED — A York woman accused of driving drunk and fleeing the scene after her vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian appeared in court Wednesday for the first time since her arrest to face related charges.
Carolyn Lee, 21, was not required to enter a plea during the hearing in York County Superior Court in Alfred because she has yet to be indicted. York police have charged Lee with manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, both felonies, in connection with the accident in August. She faces a sentence of up to 30 years on the manslaughter charge and up to five years on the other.
The District Attorney’s Office is presenting cases to a grand jury this week, but it is unclear whether Lee’s case was among them because grand jury proceedings are secret.
Lee is accused of driving the 2010 GMC Yukon that struck 23-year-old Emily Zarnoch of Quincy, Massachusetts, as she walked along Ridge Road in York with her boyfriend after midnight on Aug. 4.
The judge at Wednesday’s hearing, Justice Wayne Douglas, allowed Lee to remain free on $25,000 cash bail on the conditions that she attend regular substance-abuse counseling and have no contact with the victim’s family or boyfriend. The judge also ordered her not to drive, leave the state, drink or use illegal drugs, and to surrender her passport, abide by a curfew and submit to random searches, according to court records.
Although Zarnoch’s family has not yet filed a civil suit against Lee, court filings by an attorney on behalf of the estate of Emily Zarnoch suggest a lawsuit is pending.
The attorney for the estate, Peter Clifford, filed a motion on Sept. 29 seeking a court order to disclose to him all investigative records from the criminal case against Lee. Clifford did not return a phone call regarding when or whether he intends to file suit.
Zarnoch was being tended to by her boyfriend on the lawn of 366 Ridge Road when an ambulance and rescue workers arrived soon after receiving the emergency call at 12:32 a.m. She died of her injuries later that morning after she was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire.
Lee was first arrested shortly after the crash when a police officer stopped her SUV on Long Sands Road. She was initially charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a serious personal injury accident and released on $5,000 cash bail. Police later arrested Lee again when they added the manslaughter charge, but her family again posted bail at the increased amount of $25,000.
Lee is tentatively scheduled to return to court on Jan. 6, but might make an earlier appearance if she is indicted.
Scott Dolan can be contacted at 791-6304 or at:
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