Trial is set for a 25-year-old Mississippi woman accused of causing a three-vehicle collision two years ago that killed two men on a motorcycle in Kona.
Trial is set for a 25-year-old Mississippi woman accused of causing a three-vehicle collision two years ago that killed two men on a motorcycle in Kona.
Rebecca Rae Vetter of Brandon, Miss., pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree negligent homicide for the 2015 crash that killed 47-year-old Rick Dupont of Kailua-Kona and 47-year-old Sean Henshaw of Ocean View. Kona Circuit Judge Melvin Fujino ordered Vetter to appear for trial at 9 a.m. Aug. 29.
Vetter, who lived in Honolulu at the time of the collision, was indicted April 4 by a Kona grand jury. The indictment accused Vetter of driving “while under the influence of any drug that impaired her ability to operate the vehicle in a careful and prudent manner.” The document didn’t specify what drug or drugs Vetter had allegedly taken prior to the crash.
First-degree negligent homicide is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
According to police, at about 7:30 p.m. May 9, 2015, Vetter was driving a 2014 Nissan Altima south on Queen Kaahumanu Highway near the 94-mile marker, when her car crossed left of center and side-swiped a northbound 2010 Ford Fusion, then collided head-on with a 2013 Honda CRF 250L motorcycle, also heading north.
Dupont, the motorcycle’s operator, and Henshaw, a passenger, were thrown from the motorcycle upon impact.
Both men were taken to Kona Community Hospital, where Dupont was pronounced dead at 11:55 p.m. and Henshaw was pronounced dead a minute later.
The driver of the Ford, a then-60-year-old Waimea woman, refused treatment and was released by medics at the scene.
As of Wednesday, Vetter remained in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.