Maureen Lambert
Suffolk police arrested a Stony Brook woman Wednesday night in connection with the fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed an 11-year-old girl in Smithtown on Tuesday.
Maureen Lambert, 20, was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash. She pleaded not guilty at First District Court in Central Islip on Thursday morning and her bail was set at $250,000.
Homicide Squad Detective Sgt. John Twiname said investigators tracked down a vehicle that had damage consistent with the crash. Then friends and family persuaded the suspect to turn herself in.
Detective Sgt. Richard Matero added that no drugs or alcohol are suspected at this time.
Fourth Squad detectives say Lambert was driving a truck when she struck Courtney Sipes as she was crossing East Main Street near Lawrence Avenue at 7 p.m. Sipes, who was leaving a music lesson with her mother when the accident occurred, was taken to St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown where she died of her injuries.
A spokeswoman for The Pines Elementary School, where Sipes was a student, released this statement:
“This is a very difficult time for us to talk about this terrible tragedy. Courtney Sipes was a wonderful, energetic 5th grade student at The Pines Elementary School. She was a member of our Student Council, played the trumpet in our band and was involved in other school activities. We have provided grief counseling for our students and staff. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Sipes’ family and The Pines’ community.”
