SEDGWICK COUNTY—A driver accused in a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred in February finally made her first court appearance on Thursday.
Madelyn Walter, 24, Derby, was charged with with involuntary manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
Just after 5 p.m. February 6, deputies, Sedgwick County EMS and Sedgwick County Fire District #1 responded to a hit-and-run crash at 47th Street South and Clifton, according to Sheriff's Department spokesman Branden Stitt.
Witnesses reported that a red Dodge Nitro was traveling south on Clifton when it failed to yield to an eastbound Ford Fiesta and struck the vehicle in the intersection.
The impact caused the driver of the Fiesta, identified as Manolopoulos Panagiotis of Wichita, to be ejected and then struck by his own car.
Sedgwick County EMS transported Panagiotis to a Wichita hospital in extremely critical condition. He later succumbed to his injuries at 10:46 p.m. The driver of the Nitro, later identified as Walter, fled the scene following the collision.
Thanks to witness reports and information provided to 911 dispatchers, deputies utilized the Flock license plate reader system to locate the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of the Walmart in Derby. With assistance from the Derby Police Department Walter was found at a nearby Derby residence.
She was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. As part of the investigation, it was determined that Walter’s 5-year-old child was in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Neither Walter nor the child was injured.
Walter met the requirement for bond and was released from custody Feb. 7, according to online jail records. She is scheduled to return to court Dec. 15, according to the district attorney's office.