Republican Party official charged in fatal hit-and-run was driving Cadillac Escalade with 'Support the Troops' bumper sticker, deputies say

A Republican Party authoritative successful New Mexico was arrested for leaving the country of a deadly hit-and-run crash, according to instrumentality enforcement successful the Land of Enchantment.

Kimberly Skaggs, 54, stands accused of 1 number each of leaving the country of an mishap and tampering with evidence, according to the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office.

Until the clang that took the beingness of 40-year-old Andrew Brown – and the ensuing charges filed this week – Skaggs served arsenic the treasurer for the Republican Party of New Mexico.

The underlying incidental occurred precocious Monday day connected North Fairacres Road successful Las Cruces – a ample metropolis located immoderate 45 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas, according to tribunal documents obtained by Albuquerque-based Fox and CBS affiliate KRQE.

Deputies arrived astatine the country astir 2:46 p.m. and Brown identified himself to instrumentality enforcement earlier dying, the sheriff's bureau said.

The unfortunate besides allegedly told deputies helium was riding his bicycle crossed the roadworthy erstwhile helium was deed by a conveyance traveling northbound.

A witnesser astatine the country said she saw a pistillate leaving the clang – and offered respective pieces of grounds that aided the investigation, according to tribunal documents. The witnesser allegedly took photos of the woman, her conveyance – a achromatic Cadillac Escalade – and the licence plate, arsenic good arsenic a description, the sheriff's bureau said. In the photos, the SUV had a bumper sticker reading, "Support the Troops," according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Investigators besides obtained different photograph of the conveyance from a Flock licence plate-reading camera and footage from a adjacent surveillance video showing the Escalade driving accelerated conscionable a fewer blocks distant from wherever the cyclist was hit, according to the tribunal documents.

Using the accusation provided by the witness, deputies entered the licence sheet fig for the fishy conveyance into a instrumentality enforcement database and learned that the Las Cruces Police Department had antecedently cited Skaggs, authorities said.

On Tuesday, investigators arrived astatine the defendant's location and located an Escalade, which allegedly had harm to the beforehand bumper and "blood splatter" adjacent a wheel, according to the tribunal documents. Deputies said they besides recovered a bicycle tread signifier connected the bumper.

Skaggs was arrested and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center connected Wednesday afternoon.

A defence lawyer said she "found retired determination was a warrant for her apprehension and turned herself in," successful comments to the New Mexican.

"Her presumption is that she's innocent," Brock Benjamin told the newspaper.

The Republican Party of New Mexico nary longer has her photograph oregon sanction listed connected its website. An archived version of the website, however, shows her name, image, title, and email address.

The enactment released a connection to KRQE pursuing the apprehension and charges.

"Kimberly Skaggs is nary longer affiliated with the Republican Party of New Mexico," the connection reads. "We volition not beryllium commenting immoderate further connected this matter."