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Hearing scheduled later this month for deaf woman in hit-and-run case | The Desert Sun | MyDesert.com
A hearing will be held later this month to determine where to house a deaf woman ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial in the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist in La Quinta.
Tracey Salter is charged with felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the Dec. 14 death of Joseph Patrick Szymanski, who was riding a mountain bike in the bicycle lane on Avenue 54 when he was struck by a Chevrolet Malibu about 600 yards east of Jefferson Street. The 56-year-old La Quinta resident died at the scene.
Criminal proceedings against Salter, a 52-year-old resident of Merriam, Kan., were initially suspended in April, when Superior Court Judge William S. Lebov questioned her mental competency.
A doctor's report presented May 24 concluded Salter was not competent to stand trial. At the request of prosecutors, a judge ordered a second opinion, which was reviewed Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Thomas N. Douglass, who came to the same conclusion.
He scheduled a July 28 hearing to consider mental health placement recommendations for the defendant, who requires a sign-language interpreter at her court appearances.
Witnesses said the driver who struck the victim left the scene without stopping. They gave police a description of the car, which was found a short time later at Avenue 52 and Monroe Street -- its front windshield shattered.
Salter was arrested a short time later, with bail set at $50,000.
A hearing will be held later this month to determine where to house a deaf woman ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial in the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist in La Quinta.
Tracey Salter is charged with felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the Dec. 14 death of Joseph Patrick Szymanski, who was riding a mountain bike in the bicycle lane on Avenue 54 when he was struck by a Chevrolet Malibu about 600 yards east of Jefferson Street. The 56-year-old La Quinta resident died at the scene.
Criminal proceedings against Salter, a 52-year-old resident of Merriam, Kan., were initially suspended in April, when Superior Court Judge William S. Lebov questioned her mental competency.
A doctor's report presented May 24 concluded Salter was not competent to stand trial. At the request of prosecutors, a judge ordered a second opinion, which was reviewed Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Thomas N. Douglass, who came to the same conclusion.
He scheduled a July 28 hearing to consider mental health placement recommendations for the defendant, who requires a sign-language interpreter at her court appearances.
Witnesses said the driver who struck the victim left the scene without stopping. They gave police a description of the car, which was found a short time later at Avenue 52 and Monroe Street -- its front windshield shattered.
Salter was arrested a short time later, with bail set at $50,000.