GRAND RAPIDS — A local DFL official pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge that she left the scene after fatally striking a pedestrian along U.S. Highway 169 last year.

Cynthia Arlene Martin, 65, of Grand Rapids, faces a felony count of criminal vehicular homicide in the July 3, 2024, death of Carter John Haithcock, 19, of Goodland, Minnesota.

Authorities allege that Martin hit Haithcock on the highway near Nashwauk late that night. Haithcock’s body was found by another motorist, who called 911.

Martin stopped briefly down the road, court documents state, but she did not contact police until more than six hours later to report she had been involved in a collision, telling investigators she believed it had been a turkey or owl.

Martin is chair of the 8th Congressional District unit

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