Woman charged in death of teen
The Kerhonkson driver who struck and killed a town of Ulster teenager as the teen walked along the shoulder of Lucas Avenue Extension has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
Carol Melamed, 69, was accompanied by her attorney Friday when she surrendered to detectives at the Ulster County Law Enforcement Center Friday. Criminally negligent homicide is a felony punishable by one to four years in state prison.
An investigation found that Melamed was driving her 2007 Infiniti southbound at about 2:30 p.m. June 22 on the shoulder of the roadway on Lucas Avenue near Spring Lake Drive. “This and other factors contributed to the accident,” according to a press release.
Sheriff’s Department Detective Lt. Dirk Budd would not discuss whether speed or impairment were contributing factors. “Parts of this are still under investigation. I can’t give you any other factors. We’ll have to wait for those,” he said, adding that additional information could come to light come before the case goes to trial.
The victim, Jennifer Curry, 17, was walking north on the shoulder of the roadway when she was struck and killed.
After Curry’s death investigators were reviewing security camera footage from “a couple of places” along Lucas Avenue that might have captured images of the nearby accident, Ulster County Sheriff’s Capt. Vincent Altieri said at the time.
Police said Curry was walking to the Stewart’s store on Lucas Avenue to pick up something for a relative when she was struck. She died at Health Alliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus in Kingston after being brought there by a Mobile Life ambulance.
Immediately after the crash, Altieri said there was no evidence or indication that Melamed was driving while impaired. He said she “was willing gladly to give us blood.”
He said state police would determine Melamed’s speed at the time of the accident, and the sheriff’s office would examine her phone records to determine whether she was using a cellphone when Curry was hit. He said was “no indication” she was talking on her cellphone or texting when Curry was hit.
Altieri recently said Curry was not texting on her cellphone when she was hit and was walking against traffic.
Malamed was arraigned in Kingston City Court and released on her own recognizance with an appearance ticket for Ulster Town Court on Sept. 5.