News footage of a memorial for Radahámez Rodriguez Pérez at the location in Anchorage, Alaska where he was killed by an allegedly drunk driver (KTUU).
An Alaska woman is out on bond after police said she drove drunk, struck and killed a cyclist, then tried to bribe officers to make it all go away.
Stephanie Dill, 40, posted $10,000 bond after she was charged with manslaughter, reckless driving, bribery of a public servant, DUI, and refusing to submit to a sobriety test. According to Anchorage police, Dill allegedly struck 48-year-old Radahámez Rodriguez Pérez with her car on June 19 while he was riding his bike. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene, where Dill refused to submit to a Breathalyzer test, but she smelled of alcohol and had “bloodshot and watery” eyes, according to court documents obtained by KTUU, a local NBC affiliate.
But Dill”s alleged behavior after she was arrested resulted in even more criminal charges.
Police said that after Dill refused to submit to field sobriety tests, she told them to “just arrest” her. The Alaska Daily News reported that according to the police summary statement, Dill allegedly attempted to give the responding officers $1,000 in cash in exchange for her freedom. The statement stated that Dill “told the arresting officer that she would give him $1,000 if he dropped her off down the street and ‘acted like nothing happened.'”
Police asked Dill to repeat herself, and she allegedly “assured him that she had $1,000 cash on her and would give it to him.”
According to police, surveillance cameras captured the moments that led up to the fatal collision. The charging document obtained by Alaska Public Media stated that Dill’s Mazda SUV was seen leaving the parking lot of a restaurant and heading the wrong way on a southbound road.
The Mazda then reportedly “swerv[ed] badly” across the median, going faster than the posted 50 mph speed limit. At the same time, Pérez was seen on his bike “riding on the paved shoulder of the east side of C Street.” KTUU reported that in court on Thursday, Pérez’s family said he was on the phone while wearing headphones, talking to his mother, when he was hit.
Police said that the front end of Dill’s SUV had significant damage including a smashed windshield and a crumpled hood. Blood was observed on the passenger side of the vehicle.
Five hours after her arrest, Dill submitted to a Breathalyzer test while in police custody and blew a BAC of 0.178 — more than twice Alaska’s legal limit of 0.08.
KTUU reported that Dill did not show up for her scheduled court appearance on Thursday, despite being out on bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for July 31.
