Breckenridge Hit & Run Driver Pleads Guilty

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (CBS4)- A hit-and-run driver pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in the case that left a pedestrian with serious injuries.

Hallie Schmitt pleaded guilty in Summit County District Court to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury.

Prosecutors said the victim, Laura Hamilton, was walking along Airport Road about 11:22 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2014 when she was struck by the vehicle driven by Schmitt, 25. Schmitt did not stop and drove away.

Police only had a small piece of damaged bumper from a Toyota 4-Runner SUV in their search for the driver.

A few days later, Breckenridge Police Detective Blank saw a 2003 Toyota 4-Runner with front-end damage in his rear view mirror which matched the bumper debris found at the crime scene.

"After today's plea hearing, a young woman tragically injured and essentially left for dead, conclusively resolves the question of, "who would do this to me?", said District Attorney Bruce Brown. "Top notch work by Breckenridge Police Department officers and detectives, putting together physical evidence and linking it to the defendant, enables us to put a period on the guilt portion of this case."

Schmitt is scheduled to be sentenced July 11 in Summit County District Court where she faces a maximum term of six years imprisonment at the Department of Corrections.