A driver who allegedly hit and seriously injured a pedestrian before fleeing in November made a first appearance Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court.
Sarah Marie Willman, 34, pleaded not guilty to hit-and-run injury. Judge Bernard Veljacic set bail at $10,000, which Willman posted, according to court records.
Vancouver police were dispatched shortly after 8 p.m. Nov. 23 to the 7800 block of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard for a report of a vehicle that hit a pedestrian. A white Nissan Altima struck a man in the crosswalk and fled the scene, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The pedestrian, Bernard Polinsky, was breathing but unresponsive while lying in the left lane of eastbound Fourth Plain near Northeast Vancouver Plaza Drive, according to the affidavit. He was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and treated for broken ribs, cuts and scrapes.
Witnesses reported that Polinsky walked south across Fourth Plain in the crosswalk from the southeast corner of the intersection against the red light. A car ahead of the Nissan nearly hit Polinsky, and the driver honked their horn, according to the affidavit. The Nissan, slightly behind that car, then struck him.
After the Nissan pulled over, the driver told witnesses “she can’t be there” because she was partying earlier. Despite witnesses telling her she should stay, the driver fled the scene, the affidavit said.
In January, months after Vancouver police issued a news release about the incident, an acquaintance of Willman’s told police she had told him about the crash the night it happened. He told police that Willman got rid of the Nissan and dyed her hair a different color, the affidavit said.
Witnesses later identified Willman in a photo montage, according to the affidavit.
Willman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of second-degree burglary in a separate case, court records show. A trial is scheduled for June 3 in the hit-and-run case.
