A 51-year old Milwaukie man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon in connection with the hit-and-run death of a Portland woman who was struck as she was crossing the highway in her wheelchair, Oregon State Police (OSP) reported.
Avelino Gines was lodged in the Clackamas County Jail after his pastor called police to facilitate the suspect turning himself in, and he was subsequently charged with hit-and-run, a Class B felony.
Avelino Gines - CCJ photo provided by OSP
Mary Denise Richey, 40, died Wednesday morning after she was struck on Highway 99E south of Boardman Avenue about 6 a.m. She had exited a Tri-Met bus, was struck in the middle of the two southbound lanes, and dragged about 100-feet in her wheelchair, police said. Richey was transported to Oregon Health Sciences University where she died about an hour later.