NEWBURYPORT — A 70-year-old Marblehead woman pleaded not guilty to a charge of vehicular homicide in connection with a crash at a Byfield farmstand in May that left one dead and two injured, according to the Essex district attorney’s office.
Janet Bach was arraigned in Newburyport District Court on Tuesday, appearing on a summons issued July 1, state court records show. Bach is charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, a misdemeanor, in connection with a May 21 crash that left 47-year-old Susan Sforza Nico dead.
Bach was allegedly reversing at a high rate of speed when her car slammed into the farmstand, killing Nico, who was working there, and injuring a 57-year-old man and an 8-year-old girl. At the time, police said Bach was “very distraught” and cooperating with the investigation.
Bach was released with a bail warning at her arraignment and ordered not to drive while the case is pending by Judge Allen G. Swan, said Carrie Kimball, a spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. Bach is set to return to court in September.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
