UPDATE: Kallie James pleaded guilty May 13 to vehicular homicide for the death of Pastor Eric Renz.
ORIGINAL STORY: She was already accused of vehicular assault, but now Kallie James now faces a much more serious charge and possibly years in prison.
James, 19, is accused of slamming her car into a bicycle ridden by Eric Renz in Puyallup in late November. The 66-year-old activist and political candidate died Dec. 9.
He never regained consciousness after the crash. James is now charged with vehicular homicide.
“We’re very sorry for everything,” James’ father, Richard James, told KIRO 7 after her re-arraignment on the new charge. “Horrible accident, very horrible accident. We pray for the victims and we pray for us.”
Pierce County prosecutors said James had been smoking marijuana before she ran the stop sign and hit Renz as he was riding his bike near the Washington state fairgrounds Nov. 24. Puyallup police said James' car kept going through an intersection slamming into a fence with Renz on the hood.
Renz, 66, was a well-known pastor and advocate for the homeless in the Puyallup area. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Washington state Legislature in November. Renz was on his way to volunteer for a free meal program serving families and the homeless in Puyallup when he was hit.
Pierce County prosecuting attorney Mark Lindquist says this is one of the rare instances where he was friends with someone who became the victim of a crime.
“Eric was a very active, good-hearted well-liked member of our community,” said Lindquist. “A lot of us are feeling this loss.”
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