A 26-year-old Vancouver woman turned herself in to police Wednesday, a month after investigators say she fled the scene of a crash that killed a Gresham road worker directing traffic at a construction site. Courtney McKee is accused of striking and killing 50-year-old Miguel Jimenez near NE Division Street and NE Hogan Drive on Aug. 31, then driving away before officers arrived.
Cameras Captured the Crash and a License Plate
Jimenez was directing traffic at the construction site when he was struck by a passing vehicle, according to a Gresham Police Department bulletin. The driver fled before police arrived, but city-owned public safety cameras captured both the collision and the suspect vehicle’s license plate, giving investigators their first major lead.
Using that footage, investigators identified McKee as the driver involved in the crash, per the same bulletin. KATU reports that Gresham police arrested the Vancouver woman in connection with the deadly hit-and-run.
Conflicting Accounts of When the Car Was Found
Accounts differ on exactly when Vancouver police tracked down the suspect vehicle. The Gresham police bulletin states that officers with the Vancouver Police Department located the vehicle five days after the crash, at an apartment complex in Vancouver, Washington. The Outlook, however, reported that Vancouver officers found the vehicle at an apartment complex on the afternoon of Sept. 2, according to The Outlook.
From there, the investigation moved into forensic territory. Gresham investigators and Vehicular Crimes Team members examined the suspect vehicle and collected evidence from it, the bulletin states. Detectives served multiple search warrants, reviewed digital evidence, and processed physical and trace evidence collected from both the scene and the vehicle, the same report notes.
Warrant Issued, Then a Surrender
Nearly a month after the crash, a warrant for McKee’s arrest was issued on Sept. 29. The following day, McKee turned herself in to the Vancouver Police Department, according to Gresham police.
Investigators say McKee will face extradition proceedings before being returned to Oregon. She is expected to face charges including first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants, failure to perform the duties of a driver resulting in death, reckless driving, and reckless endangering, per the bulletin from Gresham police. Oregon’s criminal code states that criminal homicide constitutes first-degree manslaughter when committed recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, according to Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 163.
A Dangerous Job on Oregon Roads
Jimenez’s death underscores the risks road crews face every day. The Oregon Department of Transportation notes that crashes occurring in work zones are, on average, more severe than crashes that happen outside of them, according to an ODOT research document on work-zone traffic control. The agency’s own work-zone safety materials emphasize that hundreds of Oregonians put their lives on the line every day to maintain, repair, and protect the state’s roads, per ODOT’s work zone safety page.
