Woman Who Turned Herself In After Hit & Run Is An Aurora Teacher
DENVER (CBS4) - The woman who turned herself in to police a day after a hit-and-run outside a Denver high school is a teacher at an Aurora charter school.
Police believe Erin Jackson, 31, was behind the wheel of a Chevy Malibu that went through a red light at Colfax and Elizabeth Wednesday morning and struck Dee Bridgeman, 16. Bridgeman is a junior at East High School, which is located by the intersection.
Video captured by a HALO camera and released by police Wednesday night showed Bridgeman crossing in a crosswalk with the right of way when the car came through the intersection. The car never slowed down after hitting the teen.
Jackson turned herself in to police early Thursday morning and made her first court appearance Friday morning. Her car was found just a few blocks from the scene.
There still haven't been charges filed but Jackson continues to be held for investigation.
Jackson sobbed through most of the court session, still visibly shaken up by the serious nature of what happened.
Jackson may have been headed to her school in Aurora at the time of the accident.
Officials at Axl Academy Public Charter School, where Jackson teaches fifth grade, released a statement saying:
We are shocked to learn of Erin's involvement in this terrible accident....We are keeping the victim in our thoughts and prayers and wish her a full recovery. At this time, our top priority is supporting our students as they learn of this sad news.
According to her online bio on the school's website, Jackson recently moved to Colorado from Massachusetts.
Lt. Robert Rock with Denver police said Thursday that Bridgeman remains at Denver Health Medical Center with a serious head injury. She's been placed in a medically induced coma.
"Having spoken to her mother this morning (we learned) that she is stabilized, but realistically stabilized means she's not getting worse," Rock said.
The area of Colfax where the crime happened is not a school zone and police say there aren't many accidents there. However, officials with Denver Public Schools said several parents have contacted the Denver City Council about getting that changed.
Friends of Bridgeman told CBS4 on Thursday they couldn't understand why the driver never stopped.
"It is really sad what happened to her because she is nice to everyone, but it really is really scary," Alayah Ragland said.
Police said they are still looking for anyone who has more information about the case to contact them.
"We are asking that any additional witnesses we did not talk to at the scene come and talk to us now. Just because we have somebody in custody doesn't mean that your information is not valuable," Rock said.
