The Richmond Hill woman charged with the 2012 death of Bryan County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Robert “Bobby” Crapse pleaded not guilty Monday in Chatham County Superior Court.
Through an attorney, Patricia Ann Collins, 23, entered the plea during a brief arraignment hearing before Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley.
Collins used a walker for support and did not speak during the hearing, which took less than a minute.
Attorney Steven Beauvais, who along with Alex Zipperer is representing Collins, told judge Walmsley he would file a motion for discovery later Monday, but her next court date was not set during the arraignment hearing.
Afterward, Collins left the courtroom with her parents and attorneys.
She was indicted in September for vehicular homicide and DUI charges after a June 2012 accident that killed Crapse.
The Georgia State Patrol said Collins was driving south in the northbound lanes of I-95 around 2 a.m. June 15 when her Toyota Corolla hit Crapse’s K-9 patrol car head on around mile marker 96 in Pooler. Crapse later died from injuries. His K-9 partner Seppe was retired and lives with Crapse’s family.
Collins, who reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.139, well over the legal limit of 0.08, was hospitalized from the night of the crash until July. She was indicted by the Chatham County grand jury in September. Collins is out of jail on $25,000 bond but must stay at her parents’ home on Sterling Creek Drive and avoid alcohol.