Police seek suspect in fatal crash on Halloween who failed to show up for court hearing

HOPKINTON — The police are searching for a man who faces charges of driving under the influence of drugs in a crash that killed a Westerly woman on Halloween.

Keith A. Brown, 34, of Fall River and Hope Valley, failed to appear Friday in District Court, where he was to be arraigned on charges of driving under the influence, death resulting; driving to endanger, death resulting; and driving as to endanger, resulting in serious bodily injury.

Hopkinton Police Chief David Palmer said Brown is 6 feet tall, weighs 360 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. Brown is still recovering from several broken ribs, has casts on his right leg and arm and may be using a wheelchair as a result of injuries from the crash, Palmer said.

More: Police identify Westerly woman who died in crash

The police say Brown was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe that crashed head-on into a Jeep Cherokee on Route 138 in Hopkinton on the afternoon of Oct. 31.

A passenger in the Jeep, 88-year-old Elisabeth Thayer, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Jeep, Thayer's daughter, Alexandrea Martino, was treated for internal injuries.

Palmer said a witness told the police that Brown's vehicle had been swerving just before the crash. A toxicology report found fentanyl and methadone in Brown's system, Palmer said.

Anyone with information on Brown's whereabouts is asked to call the Hopkinton police at (401) 377-7750.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Police seek suspect in fatal crash who failed to show up in court