Forestdale man charged with vehicular homicide

UPDATE: The Magistrate's Hearing on the charges of vehicular homicide due to negligence as well as driving on a revoked license that Christopher G. Parker has requested will be held on Wednesday April 4, 2007 at 2:00pm at the Barnstable District Court House on Cape Cod. Directions are located here. Please contact me if you plan to attend.

Forestdale man charged with vehicular homicide

By GEORGE BRENNAN STAFF WRITER SANDWICH - Christopher G. Parker was issued a citation this week charging him with vehicular homicide in the March 5 death of Diane Carhart, the police said.

Parker, 50, of Forestdale, was also cited for driving with a revoked license.

The citation makes official what police have said since shortly after the three-car crash on Route 130: They believe Parker was responsible for causing the fatal wreck.

There are indications Parker requested a hearing before a clerk-magistrate, as is his right, but no date has been set, according to a Barnstable District Court clerk.

Parker has a lengthy driving infraction record, which includes four drunken driving convictions, dating back to 1982. He also has a case pending in Falmouth District Court on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs in October in Bourne.

Not only had his license been revoked at the time of the Sandwich crash because state police considered him an ''immediate danger,” but his license had also been suspended for failure to pay a speeding ticket, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicle records indicate.

Police have not cited Parker for operating under the influence in connection with Carhart's death but have said the investigation of the crash continues and more charges could follow.

Had Parker waived his right to a magistrate's hearing, a date would have been set for an arraignment in Barnstable District Court.

In a magistrate's hearing, the clerk will decide whether police have shown probable cause for the charge to be pursued in district court. If probable cause is established, an arraignment will be scheduled, but the magistrate also has the authority to dismiss the criminal complaint.

Magistrate hearings are typically closed to the public.

During a court appearance last week on the Bourne charge, Parker was issued a warning by a judge that if he was charged with any other crime his $1,000 bail could be revoked and he could be jailed for up to 60 days.

He had not been officially charged in the fatal three-car crash at the time of his hearing last week.

George Brennan can be reached at gbrennan@capecodonline.com.
(Published: March 22, 2007)