A 52-year-old woman pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges tied to a hit-and-run crash that left a male bicyclist severely injured in Silver Lake , the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Molly Jane Hoene has been charged with two felony counts of hit-and-run in connection with the incident, prosecutors said in a news release.
Hoene entered the not guilty plea during her arraignment Tuesday, according to a public information officer for L.A. Superior Court.
She is due back in court Jan. 23.
Hoene, a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District, is accused of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that slammed head on into a bicyclist in the area of Berkeley Avenue and Berkeley Circle on Oct. 25, investigators said.
She fled the scene without rendering aid to the seriously injured 52-year-old man, according to the DA’s office. Police called his injuries severe, and it’s not clear if he has recovered.
The incident was caught on a surveillance camera, and a tip led detectives to a blue Mini Cooper believed to be involved in the crash.
The car was found at an auto body shop in Glendale five days after the collision. It was impounded and searched for forensic evidence, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.
Hoene was apprehended on Nov. 26 at a gated community in Palm Desert where she had been staying with relatives, according to LAPD.
The defendant has since been released on $50,000 bond, according to L.A. County inmate records. A booking photo has not been released.
Hoene face a maximum prison sentence of four years if convicted.
KTLA’s Dianne Sanchez contributed to this story.
