Spokane7
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September 19, 2011 in City
Suspect in fatal hit-and-run bike crash pleads not guilty
An 18-year-old woman accused of a hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist was arraigned on a felony charge today in Spokane County Superior Court.
Megan C. Skillingstad pleaded not guilty to one count failure to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in death for the crash with Dennis Widener, 66, which occurred June 23 as he rode his bike on Empire Avenue at North Division Street.
Skillingstad was joined by family members and her lawyer Carl Oreskovich, who declined to speak with media after the short hearing before Judge Michael Price. Widener’s widow, Helen Widener, also attended.
Skillingstad was given a trial date of Dec. 12, but Price acknowledged it may be postponed to allow more time to prepare.
Skililngstad, a star softball catcher at Shadle Park High School who’s to play for Community Colleges of Spokane, has until Wednesday at 5 p.m. to report to the Spokane County Jail to be booked and released.
Spokane police seized Skillingstad’s 1996 Nissan Sentra Aug. 5, one day after a friend called police and said she’d been trying to persuade Skillingstad to turn herself in to no avail. Skillingstad had reportedly told another friend that “she was terrified and didn’t know what to do” when she struck Widener, according to a probable cause affidavit. “She thought about staying at the scene, but got scared and left.”
Police said a friend said Skillingstad was on her way to work when the crash occurred about 4:38 a.m. Widener died at a hospital on July 6.
Human trafficking suspects released 
Leo_Z on September 19 at 12:13 p.m.
How does a person plead not guilty to leaving the scene of the accident, when they clearly left the man to die?
Real choice individual there.
Glad the family is standing behind the little liar.
towerfam05 on September 19 at 12:38 p.m.
Hey Leo: I bet this 18 year old girl sure is happy that you are not part of her family!! Part of BEING a family means you stick with your kids even when they make stupid, life changing decisions. I am sure there isn’t a day that goes by that she wishes she had made a different choice, but now she has to live with the choice she did make and her family is understandably sticking with her. I bet you would do the same for your kids!! If you wouldn’t, then shame on you!!
sportsfan007 on September 19 at 12:47 p.m.
Leo- I have gleaned 2 things from your ignorant comment 1) you don’ t children and 2) you are an orphan. Probably best on both accounts.
Leo_Z on September 19 at 1:16 p.m.
Haha!
Hell, I’ll stand behind the girl and offer support if she stands up and takes responsibility for those actions. It’s not as if she was charged in the death. Yes I’m sure it’s tough on the poor girl, but at least she’s alive!
SMARTGUY on September 19 at 1:23 p.m.
Being a responsible parent means teaching your children to obey the laws and admit their mistakes, not covering up for them when they kill someone. If this were my daughter I would encourage her to plead guilty, because she is. Do not worry about this girl, she will be playing softball next year, and forget all about this after she is let off by some liberal judge.
towerfam05 on September 19 at 1:31 p.m.
Leo, you’re an idiot! Of course she is being charged for the death. Why else do you think she has to go to the jail to be booked??? There will probably be at least two charges. One of which will be leaving the scene which is a felony, and the other is probably manslaughter. And, don’t make the mistake of thinking that this has not been hard on the girl. I DO NOT KNOW, OR HAVE I EVER MET HER, but I am sure that it has been “tough” on the girl. It will probably effect her for the rest of her life. It’s tragic for everyone. Her family, as well as the family of the man that died. But don’t be stupid to think that this type of thing isn’t tough on a person. It was an accident, and she probably regrets leaving the house that day, but it was an accident. Nobody does that sort of thing on purpose!! Thoughts and prayers to both familes.
sportsfan007 on September 19 at 1:45 p.m.
Smartguy- let me get this straight, if you, your children or family are ever guilty of a crime you are going to just “plead guilty” and accept the consequences of the situation? Wow! Your poor kids. I hope karma is not listening to your insensitivity right now because “smartguy” isn’t so much.
SMARTGUY on September 19 at 2:00 p.m.
Thats right, the operable word in your response is GUILTY. People should plead not guilty when they are, oh I don’t, hmm, NOT GUILTY? Our court system would save a lot of time and costs if this were the case.Pleading not guilty when you know you are is LYING. That is why you get a lower sentence when you plead guilty, because you are telling the truth. Hiding behind some fast talking lawyer does not make you innocent!!!!
SMARTGUY on September 19 at 2:03 p.m.
If you think lying is good for your karma, you obviously do not understand the concept
sportsfan007 on September 19 at 2:11 p.m.
“smart guy” you know nothing about the justice system and bad karma comes from sitting on a chair of self righteousness and pretending to have all the answers when clearly you do not.
Ed Byrnes on September 19 at 2:59 p.m.
Because she is charged criminally the evidence against her has to rise beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict her at trial. The probable cause for her arrest came from hearsay evidence and her defense counsel will use that to create reasonable doubt in the jurors minds, since the only physical evidence is her car, which her defense counsel will also do his level best to cast reasonable doubt upon. Additionally I imagine that this young woman will elicit sympathy from the jury, especially after some coaching from her defense counsel.
Given that most of the evidence against her can be categorized as hearsay the reason for a not guilty plea is simple: If her defense counsel can raise sufficient reasonable doubt and sympathy among the jurors she could probably walk.
Each of us can make our own individual and preferably private judgments about her character and the character of her parents on that basis.
Ed
sportsfan007 on September 19 at 3:14 p.m.
Awww…. A voice of reason. Thank you Ed.
misjustice on September 19 at 3:14 p.m.
(For some reason my prior post has been removed; so I am reposting it.)
At least she is finally being held to account for her actions.
misjustice on September 19 at 3:15 p.m.
Meant to post<
“At Last, she is finally being held to account for her actions.”
ruthr on September 19 at 3:47 p.m.
@misjustice, a previous post was removed because it included what I interpreted as an abbreviation of an obscene phrase.
Ruth
Copy editor/web producer
richie on September 19 at 4:55 p.m.
The article clearly states that she was being charged with one count of leaving the scene of an accident. If she was involved, she either left, or she stayed. I am thinking she left. If she was my kid, I would insist that she plead guilty, for more reasons than I am willing to explain here. Maybe the lawyer thinks he can beat it or get it reduced through a plea bargain, I don’t know. The right thing to do would have been to stay, regardless. Maybe she was under the influence, who is to know, now? I have no sympathy for her plight. I have much sympathy for the victim and his family.
Thayne on September 19 at 5:09 p.m.
LeoZ, Kudos for having the courage to say the correct thing. It’s obvious why she acted the way she did if towerfam05 and sportsfan007 are related to her. I have 2 daughters and I am 99% sure neither one would have left the scene of an accident. If they had and I became aware of it, I would have made them turn themselves in and take responsibility for their actions. It’s a shame this girl wasn’t rich and famous like Halley Berry or Paris Hilton - both of those wastes of human flesh broke the law and got away with it.
Pigrobin on September 19 at 5:21 p.m.
Richie: you left out the part of the charge after leaving the scene of an accident— “resulting in death…” I think this will be the sticking point of the final plea agreement. There’s no doubt about the leaving the scene part. Although she (and her parents) made some huge mistakes which they will pay for, pleading not guilty was not one of them. What a terrible situation for them but so much worse for the victim and his family.
detroitdude on September 19 at 5:25 p.m.
This is one of the most horrible kinds of accidents. Tragedy, poor choices are made, obviously not malicious, but heart-breaking for all affected.
sportsfan007 on September 19 at 5:44 p.m.
Thayne~you say something that is the reason why I do not judge the child who involved in this terrible situation “I am 99% sure neither (your children) would have left the scene” . Not 100%? This is where I am also. I am the parent of grown children and can say for certain that my teenagers did things I was “99%” sure they wouldn’t. Never out of malice or lack of guidance, they were impulsive and naive. I am sad for all involved. Everyone involved has been changed forever. And for the record I am no way related to anyone here. But find it interesting that you think it is the only way to be impartial.
towerfam05 on September 19 at 8:06 p.m.
As I stated in my previous post, I do not know, or have ever met the girl…..or her family for that matter. All I am saying, is that she did not intentionally hit this man, and she made a bad choice by leaving the scene. She cannot go back and change that decision, but I bet that if she had the chance, that is exactly what she would do (or hope she would). As for me, I am not a parent that thinks my children are perfect and think they would never make a bad choice. But I am a parent that will stand by them, through bad and good. Detroitdude says it best!!! There was no malice. Just a horrible accident. There was no alcohol or drugs involved, on her way to work, getting ready to start college, JUST AN ACCIDENT. And keep in mind, this is just an article online. Not a trial. There are things that are being printed that are true, some that are not, and alot of things that have not been printed YET. We, as readers, do not know everything.
SMARTGUY on September 19 at 9:23 p.m.
You are right, Towerfam05, you do not know all the facts, if you did you would know she will not be charged with manslaughter. As it was stated in the previous article, because she left the scene, they have no proof if she was driving recklessly, or under the influence. Yet you still posted, “ Leo, you’re an idiot! Of course she is being charged for the death. Why else do you think she has to go to the jail to be booked??? There will probably be at least two charges. One of which will be leaving the scene which is a felony, and the other is probably manslaughter“. What we do know is she left the scene without calling an ambulance, because she was afraid of getting in trouble. Leaving a man to die, who might have been saved by an EMT. That’s sounds like malice to me.
Sportfan007, you said, “let me get this straight, if you, your children or family are ever guilty of a crime you are going to just “plead guilty” and accept the consequences of the situation? Wow! Your poor kids “ You did not say accused of a crime, or arrested for a crime, or even convicted of a crime, but Guilty of a crime. How far does this family support go, would you wash the blood off the car to protect your child. Would you get the car repaired, or lie under oath about your child’s whereabouts that night? How far does it go? Sounds like a slippery slope to me to claim innocence when you know someone is guilty.
nslopeofw on September 19 at 9:26 p.m.
Regardless of whether it was an accident or not, she didnt seem to think medical attention for this man was as necessary as her feelings of fear. Rather than get out, check him, call 911, and assist as best she could, she CHOSE to run. Even in running, she didnt call 911. She deserves to face the charges of leaving the scene. As far as vehicular manslaughter, that probably would have never came up if she had stayed. Now, because of her (lack of) action, the man is dead.
One has to wonder what she was doing when she hit him, and if that had anything to do with her running. Also, how much time elapsed between her speeding off, and the man getting medical help.
richie on September 19 at 11:34 p.m.
If you are guilty, and you think it is ok to plead “not guilty” to reduce or get out of responsibility for your actions, may God help you.
sportsfan007 on September 20 at 9:22 a.m.
It is rare for a defendant to plead guilty at an arraingment. Judges are usually not prepared for this to happen in the first place. And because you plead “not guilty” does not mean you are not assuming responsiblity. This young lady will certainly be held accountable, maybe not up to the level you think she deserves but will be held. Our justice system protects us from a “lynch mob mentality” in cases such as this.
And May God help all of us, not just me. He, after all, he will be the ultimate judge of all of us.
richie on September 20 at 10:46 a.m.
I do believe it is rare, that doesn’t make it right. It is too bad that doing the right thing is rare these days. Is it OK to plead not guilty as a legal strategy acceptable? It is sad that this is how the game is played. I wonder how the victims family feels about this. And god help us all.
Ed Byrnes on September 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Just to clarify I do not agree that the strategy that the Skillingstads is using is the right thing to do. I am just sharing an observation about how it is playing out and likely will play out.
Even if one finds the legal strategy - leave the scene to break the chain of physical evidence, don’t cooperate with the investigation (as reported in a previous SR story) to limit testimony evidence from LE, wait for hearsay to create probable cause rather than turning herself in…it’s all legally brilliant and leaves the prosecution with hearsay (her friend) and circumstantial (her car but not at the crime scene) evidence. A good attorney can parlay this into reasonable doubt and playing the “good girl, good athlete” card will be icing on the cake. I wouldn’t be surprised if this case pleads out before trial.
As much as I don’t like this situation I have observed over time that most of us are critical of things like due process, burden of proof, and standards and levels of evidence right up to the moment when we or someone we know are in trouble. Although a smart person can play the game and minimize their responsibility and accountability we do have such safeguards in place for a reason, and they are in place for everyone. Those who wrote the constitution that informs our procedural law did so right after violently revolting against a police state.
Ed