Springfield crash suspect pleads not guilty

The 21-year-old driver accused of hitting two pedestrians, one of whom died, in Springfield in June pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to three additional charges brought against him late last month.

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Springfield Crash Suspect Pleads Not Guilty By Jordan Cuddemi Valley News Staff Writer Wednesday, October 05, 2016 Print HARTFORD VT SPRINGFIELD VT White River Junction — The 21-year-old driver accused of hitting two pedestrians, one of whom died, in Springfield in June pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to three additional charges brought against him late last month. James Ribeiro entered pleas in Windsor Superior Court to two new felony charges of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury resulting and a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. He already faced two counts of leaving the scene of a crash with a fatality resulting, to which he pleaded not guilty to in June. The new charges came after Springfield police filed a second affidavit in the White River Junction courthouse. The new affidavit, filed on Sept. 21 by the same officer, Sgt. Jeremy Fitzgibbons, indicates there isn’t “sufficient evidence” to conclude Ribeiro was impaired at the time of the June 9 car accident. Rather, the DUI charge stems from Ribeiro’s alleged actions after the incident. Police say Ribeiro struck and killed 37-year-old Steven Lapre and seriously injured 31-year-old Pamela Runnells, who were crossing River Street around 10 p.m. Ribeiro told police he glanced down at his cellphone, which was in the cup holder of his car, and when he looked back up “it was too late,” according to the affidavit. Ribeiro left the scene of the crash because he “didn’t know what to do,” according to the affidavit. In the initial affidavit filed in court in June, Ribeiro told police he smoked marijuana when he returned home, before driving to the police station to turn himself in. The newly affidavit states: “While there doesn’t appear to be sufficient evidence to say one way or the other if Ribeiro was impaired at the time of the crash, or if that is a contributing factor, there is probable cause to believe that Ribeiro did operate a motor vehicle on a public highway while impaired by marijuana when he drove himself to the Springfield police department at about 11:32 p.m.” Ribeiro had a blood sample taken around 3 a.m., and toxicology reports showed he had THC in his system, according to court documents. A woman interviewed by police in the days after the accident said Runnells was walking in the middle of the road and seemed “complacent and unaware of traffic.” Runnells told police she looked both ways before crossing the road and didn’t see any cars coming. Runnells and Lapre didn’t cross the road in a designated crosswalk, the affidavit states. Because she didn’t see any cars coming, she told police in an interview, she thought the driver must have been speeding through town. Ribeiro told police he was driving approximately 35 mph at the time of the crash. Ribeiro is out on $25,000 bail. He will next appear in court on Jan. 3.