Iowa Woman Charged in Fatal 4th of July Hit-and-Run
A Des Moines woman was arrested Thursday night, about 18 hours after police say she was involved in a hit and run that killed a 19-year-old Iowa State student. Authorities say after the crash, she ran from the scene on foot.
According to WHO, Kevin Truong had been playing video games for hours at the home of a childhood friend when he decided to head home. At just before 3 a.m. on July 4, police say his Toyota Camry was broadsided on the driver's side by a Nissan Pathfinder in the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Clark Street. Police say 23-year-old Alexandria Newton of Des Moines was driving the Pathfinder, speeding, and ran a red light just before the crash.
Newton turned herself in Thursday afternoon and was booked into the Polk County jail just after 9 p.m. Thursday evening. WHO says she told investigators that she had been drinking before the accident and that she injured an ankle in the crash. Newton has been charged with Homicide by Vehicle (Reckless Driving). Other charges related to the incident are Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability (No Insurance), Driving While Suspended, Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death. She's being held on $55,000 cash bond.
Kevin Truong's childhood friend, Darric Burrage, said Truong, "has left behind happiness in many people’s hearts."