Sutter County Woman Faces Second-Degree Murder Charges in Connection with Fatal DUI Collision
Above: Vickie Lynn Hedden booking photo (Credit: Sutter County District Attorney)
A Yuba City woman has been apprehended in connection with fatal DUI collision which killed a 21-year-old mother and her one-year-old daughter. The child’s father reportedly suffered severe injuries but survived.
According to a press release by the Sutter County District Attorney’s Office, 68-year-old Vickie Lynn Hedden was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation conducted by Sutter County District Attorney Investigators. The incident took place on Highway 99, just north of Paseo Avenue, on the evening of June 9.
Hedden, who was reportedly fleeing from a previous collision she had allegedly caused in Live Oak, was traveling at a high rate of speed in the southbound direction on Highway 99. While attempting to evade authorities, she crossed the center line and side-swiped a northbound semi-tractor trailer. Hedden then continued on and once again veered into the northbound lane, resulting in a head-on collision with the victims’ vehicle.
Medical attention was provided to Hedden, who was transported to Sutter Roseville Hospital for treatment of her injuries. After approximately a week, she was released from the hospital, and her whereabouts remained unknown to law enforcement. However, investigators soon discovered her location and took her into custody on Wednesday, July 5.
Hedden has been booked into the Sutter County jail with a bail set at $2 million. She faces two counts of second-degree murder, among other charges.
Authorities are urging any witnesses who observed the collisions involving Hedden on June 9th to come forward and provide their accounts to the Sutter County District Attorney’s Office at 530-822-7330.
