The Detroit News is reporting that the plea involves two felony counts and 18 months in prison. It’s not clear there is any restitution for the victim’s two children.

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. The Royal Oak Police are to be commended for staying on this investigation and (apparently) solving this crime story.

The Detroit News mentions how it was done.

Royal Oak Detective Frank Bonnette began his search for the driver with two clues from the accident: a piece from the car’s grille and a section of the right rear wheel well.

He narrowed the list of possible vehicles to a 2008 Jeep Liberty Sport and called Chrysler officials asking where replacement parts for a grille and rear wheel well had been shipped.

He went to a bumper shop in Clinton Township and hit pay dirt: Both such parts had been requested for repair on the same car, owned by Dancy.

Now as you recall, Dancy faked a traffic accident in hopes of covering up the damage to her car. However, the police impounded her car and saw that it had indeed hit a bicycle.

With one more trick, this case was made solid:

Police also pulled records from Dancy’s cell phone, which placed her on Woodward Avenue heading north in the minutes leading up to the accident about 1:30 a.m.

That doesn’t mean she was on a call, but her cell phone was on and in contact with the local cell towers along Woodward at the time of the accident.

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Ghost Bike Driver Waives Exam

Kimberly Dancy waived her rights to an exam this week.  Dancy is accused of the hit-and-run accident on Woodward that killed a Detroit bicyclist.

Dancy’s waiving of her preliminary exam in Royal Oak’s 44th District Court amounts to “a concession that there was probably cause” for the felony charges, Royal Oak City Attorney Dave Gillam said.

Earlier this month, she dropped her lawsuit against the Royal Oak police that sought to force the return of her Jeep Liberty, Gillam said.

Dancy is going before Oakland County Circuit Judge Lisa Gorcyca on Monday.

This story was even picked up in the Chicago Tribune.

Polly Ann Trail Upgrade

The Polly Ann Trail is being extended in Orion Township as  we reported earlier (though it appears the costs have changed.)

Jimmy Carter gets Replacements for his Stolen Bikes

Someone recently stole Former President Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter’s bikes in Atlanta.  On the Daily Show this week, Jon Stewart presented Carter with two new bikes.  It was great watching his genuine gratefulness.

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The removal was not unexpected.  Royal Oak Police expressed interest in keeping it there in hopes that it would help with their investigation.  It could serve as a reminder to driver’s with additional helpful information to contact the police.

Now that the investigation has led to an arrest, that reminder is no longer needed.

However, the Bank of America (where the ghost bike was located) is still collecting monetary donations to a fund for the victim’s two boys.  Donations should be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067.

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Kimberly Dancy, 44, was arraigned Monday for leaving an at-fault accident that caused death — a 15-year felony. She also faces a charge of malicious property destruction, a two-year-felony, stemming from a collision in a drugstore parking lot that police say Dancy caused a few hours after striking the cyclist on Sept. 19 at 1:30 a.m.

But Dancy’s defense attorney said hers is a case of mistaken identity, and that she is a victim of “circumstance and coincidence.”

According to another report from ClickOnDetroit:

Prosecutors also cited Darcy’s stained driving record. Darcy was cited in 2002 for driving on a suspended or revoked license and her license was taken away in 2005 for drunken driving. It was reinstated in 2006.

Judge Terrence Brennan said there was no indication Darcy was driving drunk on the night of the fatal hit-and-run, but he has ordered her to stay away from alcohol and she must not leave the state.

Bond was set at $20,000 or 10 percent. Darcy posted $2,000 bond and was released.

ClickonDetroit also posted  on-line video coverage.

The arraignment was also covered by C&G Newspapers and the Detroit News.

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“I’m glad to see there was an arrest. Now we just have to see how justice turns out,” said Heather Weeks, Robinson’s cousin. “You have to wonder because you’d think a normal person would stop even to help an animal.”

The victim’s cousin said the arrest brings a measure of relief but no closure.

“We still have two little kids who are going to have Christmas without their mom,” Weeks said.

Reminder: Donations can be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067.

ClickonDetroit also has an article on-line along with this older, but well-done video coverage. It’s clear that the victim’s family and Royal Oak Police are supportive of the ghost bike since it memorializes Ms. Robinson and may have helped in the investigation.

The video image of her bike clearly showed a very damaged rear wheel and an undamaged front wheel. This appears to confirm the police report that she was traveling north on Woodward and was struck from behind.

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The charges?  According to the Daily Tribune, “Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both; leaving the scene of a serious injury accident, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both; and malicious destruction of property over $1,000, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.”

Dancy is expected to turn herself in on Monday.

According to the Daily Tribune:

Dancy tried to mask the damage to her white 2008 Jeep Liberty by driving it into a parked car one day after Jacqueline Marie Robinson, 40, of Detroit was killed, Royal Oak Detective Frank Bonnette said.

“She intentionally damaged her vehicle by striking another vehicle,” Bonnette told 44th District Court Magistrate Kenneth Roy, who signed an arrest warrant.

“It was the only vehicle in the parking lot and she rammed her Jeep into it at the same point of impact where the bicyclist was struck,” he said at a hearing Wednesday.

According to a story in The Mirror, Dancy had filed a lawsuit against the City of Royal Oak for impounding her vehicle as evidence. The Police were planning on arresting her when she appeared for the initial hearing at the 44th District Court.

She never showed.

While there are still a few hours left on this day, there’s no better time to give thanks to the Royal Oak Police Department for their investigative efforts in this crime.

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According to the Royal Oak Review:

The SUV belonged to a Royal Oak resident and had been already repaired before the department took it in as evidence, O’Donohue said. “(We found the vehicle) through a variety of sources and some really good detective work,” O’Donohue said. “The investigation is continuing. That is all we are really releasing right now.”

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Royal Oak police at (248) 246-3515.

Also, donations can be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067.

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A fund has been established for the two young children whose mother, Jacqueline Robinson, was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she rode her bike on Woodward Avenue Sept. 19.

Donations can be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067. The bank is next to the site where Robinson died. Police are seeking a 2008 white Jeep Liberty.

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The insignificant traffic levels on Woodward during the early morning (left) make it an ideal choice for bicyclists

The Detroit Free Press ran a followup article on the bicyclist who was recently hit and killed in Royal Oak:

Who rides a bike along Woodward Avenue near 12 Mile at 1:30 a.m.?

The answer: a single mom raising two kids. With no car, she commuted by bike from southwest Detroit to Royal Oak to care for a 92-year-old man.

Friends and family members describe Jackie Robinson as a fighter who had battled adversity and was working hard for her two boys, Bruce, 13, and Keith, 11.

“She was a good person,” said Heather Weeks, a cousin. “She would give you the shirt off her back.”

You can read the entire article here.

As much as I enjoy and respect Bill McGraw, the article’s author, he does make one significant mistake.  He implies Woodward is always busy and perhaps not ideal for biking:

Riding a bike on multilane Woodward north of 8 Mile can be harrowing: The speed limit in Royal Oak is 45, and an average of about 75,000 vehicles pass 12 Mile every day.

Woodward Avenue south of 12 Mile at 1:30 AM is not harrowing.  The latest SEMCOG traffic count for this northbound stretch of road shows only 140 vehicles per hour on this well-lit, four-lane road.

That’s just one car going past every 26 seconds across four lanes of traffic.  Harrowing?  That’s an ideal road choice for a cyclist.  There’s plenty of room for vehicles and bicycles to share Woodward in the early morning hours.

And the frosting on the cake is according to MDOT, traffic levels have been declining on Woodward Avenue.

Don’t Forget:  Anyone with information about this hit-and-run is strongly urged to call the Royal Oak Police at 248.246.3515 anytime.

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Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists’ right to safe travel.

Apparently that discussion turned to reality.

Bill McGraw of the Free Press reported on it in today’s paper: A hit-and-run death in Royal Oak brings a ghost bike for all to see.

No one has taken credit for the Royal Oak ghost bike, though someone faxed an anonymous, handwritten press release to the Free Press.

“Our roads are meant to be shared,” it said.

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