Yesterday morning, an arrest warrant was issued for Kimberly Cooley Dancy, a 44-year old Royal Oak resident who is charged with the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed cyclist Jacqueline Marie Robinson.

The charges?  According to the Daily Tribune, “Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both; leaving the scene of a serious injury accident, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both; and malicious destruction of property over $1,000, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.”

Dancy is expected to turn herself in on Monday.

According to the Daily Tribune:

Dancy tried to mask the damage to her white 2008 Jeep Liberty by driving it into a parked car one day after Jacqueline Marie Robinson, 40, of Detroit was killed, Royal Oak Detective Frank Bonnette said.

“She intentionally damaged her vehicle by striking another vehicle,” Bonnette told 44th District Court Magistrate Kenneth Roy, who signed an arrest warrant. The experts in Rosemead area criminal defense lawyers can help in such cases.

“It was the only vehicle in the parking lot and she rammed her Jeep into it at the same point of impact where the bicyclist was struck,” he said at a hearing Wednesday.

According to a story in The Mirror, Dancy had filed a lawsuit against the City of Royal Oak for impounding her vehicle as evidence. The Police were planning on arresting her when she appeared for the initial hearing at the 44th District Court.

She never showed.

While there are still a few hours left on this day, there’s no better time to give thanks to the Royal Oak Police Department for their investigative efforts in this crime.

The Royal Oak Police have found the Jeep Liberty involved in the hit-and-run accident on Woodward which killed Jacqueline Marie Robinson as she biked to work.

According to the Royal Oak Review:

The SUV belonged to a Royal Oak resident and had been already repaired before the department took it in as evidence, O’Donohue said. “(We found the vehicle) through a variety of sources and some really good detective work,” O’Donohue said. “The investigation is continuing. That is all we are really releasing right now.”

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Royal Oak police at (248) 246-3515.

Also, 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.

From the Detroit Free Press:

A fund has been established for the two young children whose mother, Jacqueline Robinson, was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she rode her bike on Woodward Avenue Sept. 19.

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. The bank is next to the site where Robinson died. Police are seeking a 2008 white Jeep Liberty.

The insignificant traffic levels on Woodward during the early morning (left) make it an ideal choice for bicyclists

The Detroit Free Press ran a followup article on the bicyclist who was recently hit and killed in Royal Oak:

Who rides a bike along Woodward Avenue near 12 Mile at 1:30 a.m.?

The answer: a single mom raising two kids. With no car, she commuted by bike from southwest Detroit to Royal Oak to care for a 92-year-old man.

Friends and family members describe Jackie Robinson as a fighter who had battled adversity and was working hard for her two boys, Bruce, 13, and Keith, 11.

“She was a good person,” said Heather Weeks, a cousin. “She would give you the shirt off her back.”

You can read the entire article here.

As much as I enjoy and respect Bill McGraw, the article’s author, he does make one significant mistake.  He implies Woodward is always busy and perhaps not ideal for biking:

Riding a bike on multilane Woodward north of 8 Mile can be harrowing: The speed limit in Royal Oak is 45, and an average of about 75,000 vehicles pass 12 Mile every day.

Woodward Avenue south of 12 Mile at 1:30 AM is not harrowing.  The latest SEMCOG traffic count for this northbound stretch of road shows only 140 vehicles per hour on this well-lit, four-lane road.

That’s just one car going past every 26 seconds across four lanes of traffic.  Harrowing?  That’s an ideal road choice for a cyclist.  There’s plenty of room for vehicles and bicycles to share Woodward in the early morning hours.

And the frosting on the cake is according to MDOT, traffic levels have been declining on Woodward Avenue.

Don’t Forget:  Anyone with information about this hit-and-run is strongly urged to call the Royal Oak Police at 248.246.3515 anytime.

As reported earlier, a Royal Oak bicyclist was recently killed in a hit and run on Woodward. There had been discussion on Detroits Critical Mass discussion list about adding a ghost bike at the crash scene.

Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists’ right to safe travel.

Apparently that discussion turned to reality.

Bill McGraw of the Free Press reported on it in today’s paper: A hit-and-run death in Royal Oak brings a ghost bike for all to see.

No one has taken credit for the Royal Oak ghost bike, though someone faxed an anonymous, handwritten press release to the Free Press.

“Our roads are meant to be shared,” it said.