A Watertown woman was held on $11,000 cash bail today following her arraignment on new charges stemming from her operation of the motor vehicle that struck Fredy Zepeda, causing injuries that claimed his life last week, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.
CATHY BERGIN-AUGUST (D.O.B. 11/19/61) was charged today with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and leaving the scene of an accident causing death. The charges for which she was arraigned while Zepeda clung to life were dismissed today.
In addition to recommending a bail amount $10,000 higher than that which was set at last week’s proceedings, Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Walsh told Brighton District Court Judge David T. Donnelly that Zepeda, a 35-year-old father living in Brighton, had succumbed to his injuries.
Donnelly kept in place the conditions of release set at Bergin-August’s Thursday arraignment, ordering her to surrender her driver’s license, not operate a motor vehicle, stay in Massachusetts, and report weekly to the Department of Probation if she posts bail.
Bergin-August was behind the wheel of a rented Toyota Yaris when it struck Zepeda moments after he placed his 1-year-old son in his vehicle’s car seat. Zepeda was critically injured and rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital for emergency brain surgery. He remained on life support until late Thursday.
Bergin-August is said to have left the scene of the collision, allegedly refusing to stop until Boston Police pulled her over. Police were assisted by multiple civilian witnesses, one of whom actually followed the defendant’s vehicle while leaning on his horn and shouting at her to pull over.
Bergin-August’s vehicle was transported to Boston Police headquarters with front end damage and a cracked windshield; a routine inventory of the vehicle turned up a bottle of prescription sedatives with a label warning users to use caution when operating machinery.
Bergin-August is represented by attorney J.W. Carney, Jr. She will return to court on Sept. 19.
