Beverly woman charged in Lynn fatal hit-and-run

LYNN – A judge released a 29-year-old Beverly woman who police said drove away from the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident early Tuesday morning and had a suspended driver’s license.Katherine Hochstin, 29, of 100 Cabot St. #4, Beverly, was arrested shortly after leaving the scene and charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. She was arraigned in Lynn District Court Tuesday morning, where a plea of not guilty was entered on her behalf.Police have yet to release the name of the victim.”There is a pretty heavy investigation going on right now, this involves a serious motor-vehicle accident with injuries,” Essex Assistant District Attorney Mark Byron said in Lynn District Court Tuesday, when asked by the judge if the Commonwealth was seeking bail.A spokeswoman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office confirmed the defendant was arrested at the scene of a fatal accident at Smith and Union streets Tuesday morning.Neither Byron nor court-appointed Defense Attorney Barbara Keon discussed the details of the charge in open court.But court documents reveal an officer stopped Hochstin’s vehicle as she allegedly tried to leave the scene of the accident.The police report does not definitively say whether Hochstin or her vehicle were involved in the actual accident.According to police, Hochstin said she was about to drop friends off on School Street when she saw a black vehicle leaving the scene of the accident. She told police she followed the car, according to a report by Lynn Police Officer Benjamin Chez.Two witnesses told police they were in Hochstin’s car but got out to check on the victim, according to Chez.Police noted “what appeared to be fresh blood on the driver side wheel weld,” but the report does not specifically state this was observed on Hochstin’s vehicle. The observation was made, however, by an officer who appeared “on scene” with the officer interviewing Hochstin, according to court documents.Police did state in the report that a gun was found at the scene of the crash.Police also arrested Hochstin after learning her driver’s license had been suspended, according to police.Hochstin was held in custody until her arraignment. Judge James LaMothe released Hochstin, who has no record according to court documents, on personal recognizance. The case was continued to Nov. 18 for a pretrial hearing.Hochstin and her attorney both declined to comment outside the courtroom.Lynn Police Capt. Michael Mageary declined to comment Tuesday afternoon, citing an ongoing investigation.Cyrus Moulton may be reached at [email protected].