An Alaska woman is out on bond after police say she drove drunk, hit and killed a cyclist, and then attempted to bribe officers to make everything go away.
Stephanie Dill, 40, posted a $10,000 bond after being charged with manslaughter, reckless driving, bribery of a public servant, DUI, and refusing to take a sobriety test. According to Anchorage police, Dill allegedly hit 48-year-old Radahámez Rodriguez Pérez with her car on June 19 while he was riding his bicycle. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene, where Dill refused to take a Breathalyser test, but she smelt of alcohol and had “bloodshot and watery” eyes, according to court documents obtained by KTUU, a local NBC affiliate.
However, Dill’s alleged behaviour following her arrest led to additional criminal charges.
Police said that after Dill refused to take field sobriety tests, she told them to “just arrest” her. According to the police summary statement, Dill allegedly attempted to offer $1,000 in cash to the responding officers in exchange for her release. According to the statement, 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.'”
When officers asked Dill to repeat herself, 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 events leading up to the fatal collision. According to the charging document obtained by Alaska Public Media, Dill’s Mazda SUV was seen leaving a restaurant parking lot and driving the wrong way down a southbound road.
The Mazda then reportedly “swerve[d] badly” across the median, exceeding 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.” According to KTUU, Pérez’s family told the court on Thursday that he was on the phone with his mother while wearing headphones when he was hit.
According to police, the front end of Dill’s SUV was severely damaged, with a smashed windscreen and a crumpled hood. Blood was found on the passenger side of the vehicle.
Five hours after her arrest, Dill took a Breathalyser test while in police custody and blew a BAC of 0.178, more than twice Alaska’s legal limit of 0.08.
Despite being out on bond, Dill failed to appear in court on Thursday, according to KTUU. Her next court appearance is scheduled on July 31.
