Dirt bike driver suspected of killing Wichita woman in February hit-and-run is charged
_fitted.png "Wichita police provided this photo of a motorcyclist they believe struck a 48-year-old Kristine Sheffield, who died on Feb. 20 after being hit while crossing the street.")
A 21-year-old Valley Center man suspected of killing a pedestrian with his dirt bike in a February hit-and-run collision was charged Wednesday morning with 10 crimes, including alternative counts of murder and several misdemeanors, a spokesman for the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said.
Wichita police arrested Chase G. Faimon on Feb. 21, the day after 48-year-old Kristine J. Sheffield of Wichita was struck by a dirt bike as she crossed 11th and Broadway around 7:15 p.m. Sheffield was pronounced dead at a Wichita hospital where she was rushed after authorities found her lying unresponsive in the road.
Faimon, who police have said fled the crash scene after the collision, was identified after authorities released photos of the dirt bike driver to the public and asked for tips.
He is charged with one count of first-degree murder alleging he fatally injured Sheffield while committing another felony crime — specifically fleeing or attempting to elude authorities — and one count of second-degree murder alleging he killed her unintentionally but recklessly “under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life,” the complaint filed by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office says.
A defense attorney listed for Faimon in court records did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.
“Cases can be charged alternatively if there are two or more theories of how the crime was committed,” Dan Dillon, the DA’s spokesman, explained in a Wednesday email announcing Faimon’s charges.
“Each charge can be presented to a jury and a defendant may be convicted of more than one of the alternative charges. However, the defendant can only be sentenced for one of the alternative counts, that being the most severe offense” if convicted.
Prosecutors also charged Faimon with one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident, three misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle without a proper license, two misdemeanor counts of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer and two misdemeanor counts associated with having an expired tag or registration, Dillon said in the email.
Faimon’s next court date is April 13. He is free on a $150,000 bond, court records show.
