Photo: WOWT 6 News
(Omaha, NE) -- Douglas County prosecutors decline filing felony charges against a man charged with fatally hitting a pedestrian in the Blackstone district over the weekend.
Omaha Police reported that around 2:00 Saturday morning, 20 year old Kaitlyn Van Essen was hit by an SUV near 38th and Farnam. Van Essen was taken to Nebraska Medicine where she dies from her injuries. The driver of the SUV, 30 year old William Wright, was initially arrested on a charge of felony motor vehicle homicide. Investigators say Wright's blood alcohol content was .182, more than double the legal limit, following the crash.
Omaha City Prosecutor Matthew Kuhse’s office tells 6 News they would not proceed with a DUI charge at this time, and that they “were asked by the Douglas County Attorney’s Office to refrain from filing any charges pending further investigation.” As of Monday, Wright is currently facing misdemeanor charges and prosecutors say video evidence from the crash shows that he may have had the right-of-way.
The crash remains under investigation at this time.