On Monday, Kimberly Dancy pleaded no contest to the Woodward hit-and-run crash in Royal Oak that killed a cyclist.

The Detroit News is reporting that the plea involves two felony counts and 18 months in prison. It’s not clear there is any restitution for the victim’s two children.

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. The Royal Oak Police are to be commended for staying on this investigation and (apparently) solving this crime story.

The Detroit News mentions how it was done.

Royal Oak Detective Frank Bonnette began his search for the driver with two clues from the accident: a piece from the car’s grille and a section of the right rear wheel well.

He narrowed the list of possible vehicles to a 2008 Jeep Liberty Sport and called Chrysler officials asking where replacement parts for a grille and rear wheel well had been shipped.

He went to a bumper shop in Clinton Township and hit pay dirt: Both such parts had been requested for repair on the same car, owned by Dancy.

Now as you recall, Dancy faked a traffic accident in hopes of covering up the damage to her car. However, the police impounded her car and saw that it had indeed hit a bicycle.

With one more trick, this case was made solid:

Police also pulled records from Dancy’s cell phone, which placed her on Woodward Avenue heading north in the minutes leading up to the accident about 1:30 a.m.

That doesn’t mean she was on a call, but her cell phone was on and in contact with the local cell towers along Woodward at the time of the accident.

Here are some bike-related headlines from the past couple days.

Ghost Bike Driver Waives Exam

Kimberly Dancy waived her rights to an exam this week.  Dancy is accused of the hit-and-run accident on Woodward that killed a Detroit bicyclist.

Dancy’s waiving of her preliminary exam in Royal Oak’s 44th District Court amounts to “a concession that there was probably cause” for the felony charges, Royal Oak City Attorney Dave Gillam said.

Earlier this month, she dropped her lawsuit against the Royal Oak police that sought to force the return of her Jeep Liberty, Gillam said.

Dancy is going before Oakland County Circuit Judge Lisa Gorcyca on Monday.

This story was even picked up in the Chicago Tribune.

Polly Ann Trail Upgrade

The Polly Ann Trail is being extended in Orion Township as  we reported earlier (though it appears the costs have changed.)

Jimmy Carter gets Replacements for his Stolen Bikes

Someone recently stole Former President Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter’s bikes in Atlanta.  On the Daily Show this week, Jon Stewart presented Carter with two new bikes.  It was great watching his genuine gratefulness.

The ghost bike on Woodward in Royal Oak has been removed — and for the right reasons.

The removal was not unexpected.  Royal Oak Police expressed interest in keeping it there in hopes that it would help with their investigation.  It could serve as a reminder to driver’s with additional helpful information to contact the police.

Now that the investigation has led to an arrest, that reminder is no longer needed.

However, the Bank of America (where the ghost bike was located) is still collecting monetary donations to a fund for the victim’s two boys.  Donations should be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067.

The Free Press is reporting the arraignment in the ghost bike hit-and-run crash from back in September:

Kimberly Dancy, 44, was arraigned Monday for leaving an at-fault accident that caused death — a 15-year felony. She also faces a charge of malicious property destruction, a two-year-felony, stemming from a collision in a drugstore parking lot that police say Dancy caused a few hours after striking the cyclist on Sept. 19 at 1:30 a.m.

But Dancy’s defense attorney said hers is a case of mistaken identity, and that she is a victim of “circumstance and coincidence.”

According to another report from ClickOnDetroit:

Prosecutors also cited Darcy’s stained driving record. Darcy was cited in 2002 for driving on a suspended or revoked license and her license was taken away in 2005 for drunken driving. It was reinstated in 2006.

Judge Terrence Brennan said there was no indication Darcy was driving drunk on the night of the fatal hit-and-run, but he has ordered her to stay away from alcohol and she must not leave the state.

Bond was set at $20,000 or 10 percent. Darcy posted $2,000 bond and was released.

ClickonDetroit also posted  on-line video coverage.

The arraignment was also covered by C&G Newspapers and the Detroit News.

Today’s Free Press has additional coverage of this tragic event, including comments from the victim’s family:

“I’m glad to see there was an arrest. Now we just have to see how justice turns out,” said Heather Weeks, Robinson’s cousin. “You have to wonder because you’d think a normal person would stop even to help an animal.”

The victim’s cousin said the arrest brings a measure of relief but no closure.

“We still have two little kids who are going to have Christmas without their mom,” Weeks said.

Reminder: Donations can be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067.

ClickonDetroit also has an article on-line along with this older, but well-done video coverage. It’s clear that the victim’s family and Royal Oak Police are supportive of the ghost bike since it memorializes Ms. Robinson and may have helped in the investigation.

The video image of her bike clearly showed a very damaged rear wheel and an undamaged front wheel. This appears to confirm the police report that she was traveling north on Woodward and was struck from behind.