An Augusta woman charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a pedestrian last week on Deans Bridge Road was granted a $15,000 bond on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
Jasmane Stephenson, 33, was arrested Friday on felony charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident in the Dec. 21 death of 50-year-old William Bell.
Bell was walking on the 3600 block of Deans Bridge Road about 11:23 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle and knocked into a lane of traffic. Stephenson then allegedly struck the victim as he lay on the pavement and dragged his body several miles before stopping at Milledgeville and Deans Bridge roads.
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During her initial appearance hearing Tuesday in Richmond County Civil Court, Senior Judge H. Scott Allen noted that according to the warrants, Stephenson said she didn’t realize she had hit a person until she stopped her vehicle. It was dark and raining, and the person who first struck Bell also reported not seeing him before hitting him. The victim was found to be at fault for improper crossing of a roadway, Allen said.
Attorney John Manton asked the judge to set bond for Stephenson, a mother of three who is steadily employed.
Stephenson had no criminal history but minor traffic offenses, the judge said.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.Â
