LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Authorities have taken a Clearlake man into custody following a vehicle crash in downtown Lower Lake that killed a pedestrian.
Robert Wade Hitchcock, 47, was arrested following the crash, which claimed the life of a 40-year-old woman late Wednesday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP did not release the woman's name on Thursday pending notification of kin.
According to the CHP's report on the crash, at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, Hitchcock was driving his 1993 Ford F-150 pickup westbound on Main Street in Lower Lake, east of Highway 53 while, at the same time, the woman was attempting to enter her vehicle, which was parked on the shoulder in front of Barreda's Lower Lake Feed Store.
For reasons that the CHP said are yet to be determined, Hitchcock allowed his pickup to veer across Main Street, enter the eastbound lane and then go onto the shoulder of Main Street, where the front of his vehicle hit the woman.
The CHP said the vehicles came to rest in the eastbound lane, partially blocking traffic.
The woman was pinned between the pickup and her vehicle, and sustained fatal injuries, the CHP said.
Hitchcock was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the wreck and was uninjured, according to the report.
The CHP said Hitchcock was determined to be under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash. He subsequently was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail.
Hitchcock's booking sheet showed he was booked on felony charges of driving under the influence causing death and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and misdemeanors of driving on a suspended license, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance. His bail was set at $250,000.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, according to booking records.
The crash remains under investigation, the CHP said.
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