NIPOMO, Calif. - Court documents say that the woman accused of the fatal hit and run in Nipomo was texting when the accident happened last Sunday.
23-year-old Marie Coyner of Nipomo was formally charged with two felonies on Friday, including involuntary manslaughter and hit-and-run causing death. The District Attorney's Office has also added an enhancement for causing great bodily injury on the victim, 24-year-old Christopher Tietjen of Nipomo.
California Highway Patrol officials say Coyner was driving a green Toyota Prius south on Thompson Road in Nipomo around 9 p.m. Sunday night. Tietjan was walking on the right shoulder of the road, in the dark. Coyner, who admitted she was texting, veered off the road and struck Tietjen. She then drove off and did not report the accident to authorities.
Several tips from the public helped officers find and arrest Coyner. The report says she admitted to texting and hitting someone.
Coyner is due back in court next Monday for her arraignment.
