No criminal charges have been filed against a juvenile involved in a fatal hit and run in Thermopolis last week, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reports.
Bernadine Blacketer, 85, was on her way to open the St. Francis Catholic Church the morning of Jan. 24, and was struck by a vehicle while crossing the road, according to a Saturday statement by the Wyoming Highway Patrol and bystander interviews from that day.
The driver of the vehicle was headed to the parking lot of Thermopolis High School to get on the bus for a sporting event, WHP’s statement adds.
Blacketer died soon after the collision.
A vehicle with damage consistent with the crash was found at the parking lot, and its registration information led to the juvenile.
The Lander Police Department contacted and detained the juvenile, who was at a sporting event there.
An LPD call log from that morning says officers were asked to take a male into custody just before 9 a.m. at Lander Valley High School.
Authorities took the juvenile to the Thermopolis Police Department for an interview.
“No charges have been filed at this time,” says the WHP statement.
‘Remarkable’ Woman
Thermopolis locals mourned Blacketer’s death. The town’s mayor Adam Estenson told Cowboy State Daily she was a “remarkable” woman and a pillar in her faith community.
“She would be preaching forgiveness in light of this tragedy,” Estenson said at the time.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
