Inset: Kimberly Skaggs (Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office). Background: The stretch of road near where Skaggs allegedly hit and killed a cyclist in Las Cruces, N.M. (Google Maps).
A Republican Party official in New Mexico was arrested for leaving the scene of a deadly hit-and-run crash, according to law enforcement in the Land of Enchantment.
Kimberly Skaggs, 54, stands accused of one count each of leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with evidence, according to the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office.
Until the crash that took the life of 40-year-old Andrew Brown – and the ensuing charges filed this week – Skaggs served as the treasurer for the Republican Party of New Mexico.
The underlying incident occurred late Monday afternoon on North Fairacres Road in Las Cruces – a large city located some 45 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas, according to court documents obtained by Albuquerque-based Fox and CBS affiliate KRQE.
Deputies arrived at the scene around 2:46 p.m. and Brown identified himself to law enforcement before dying, the sheriff's office said.
The victim also allegedly told deputies he was riding his bicycle across the road when he was hit by a vehicle traveling northbound.
A witness at the scene said she saw a woman leaving the crash – and offered several pieces of evidence that aided the investigation, according to court documents. The witness allegedly took photos of the woman, her vehicle – a black Cadillac Escalade – and the license plate, as well as a description, the sheriff's office said. In the photos, the SUV had a bumper sticker reading, "Support the Troops," according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Investigators also obtained another photo of the vehicle from a Flock license plate-reading camera and footage from a nearby surveillance video showing the Escalade driving fast just a few blocks away from where the cyclist was hit, according to the court documents.
Using the information provided by the witness, deputies entered the license plate number for the suspect vehicle into a law enforcement database and learned that the Las Cruces Police Department had previously cited Skaggs, authorities said.
On Tuesday, investigators arrived at the defendant's home and located an Escalade, which allegedly had damage to the front bumper and "blood splatter" near a wheel, according to the court documents. Deputies said they also found a bicycle tread pattern on the bumper.
Skaggs was arrested and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon.
A defense attorney said she "found out there was a warrant for her arrest and turned herself in," in comments to the New Mexican.
"Her position is that she's innocent," Brock Benjamin told the newspaper.
The Republican Party of New Mexico no longer has her photo or name listed on its website. An archived version of the website, however, shows her name, image, title, and email address.
The party released a statement to KRQE following the arrest and charges.
"Kimberly Skaggs is no longer affiliated with the Republican Party of New Mexico," the statement reads. "We will not be commenting any further on this matter."