FARMINGTON — A Kingfield woman is denying she helped her boyfriend, Tommy Clark, conceal a fatal, drunken hit-and-run crash New Year’s Day that killed an East Wilton woman.
Nikita Tolman, 27, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution, class C, and a misdemeanor charge of false public report, according to Franklin County District Court documents. She was indicted on the charges in August.
Tolman was one of two passengers in Clark’s car when he struck and killed Taylor Gaboury, 21, early on the morning of Jan. 1 while Clark was driving drunk on U.S. Route 2 in Farmington.
Clark pleaded guilty in June to aggravated operating under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, and he was convicted on the charges in July. He is serving three years in prison of a seven-year sentence, four years of which were suspended.
Gaboury was walking to her parents home in Farmington when Clark struck her near Franklin Memorial Hospital. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tolman, who had not been charged previously with a crime, was one of two female passengers in the car at the time of the accident, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in conjunction with Clark’s case. Tolman, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, saw Gaboury before the crash and tried to alert Clark, but it was too late, according to the report.
Clark checked on Gaboury after hitting her with his car, but he when he realized she was dead, he fled to the Colonial Valley Motel, where police found him later.
When he fled the scene, Clark left Tolman and the other female passenger, who has not been charged with a crime, at the entrance of the Webber Insurance Agency just down the road from where Gaboury was struck. Tolman called 911 at 1:40 a.m. to report that a woman had been struck by a car, the affidavit states.
When police arrived at the scene, the passengers told police that they allegedly saw a boot in the roadway, which led them to find Gaboury in the embankment behind the guardrail. After being interviewed by police, the passengers were taken to back to the Colonial Valley Motel, where they were staying.
The affidavit states that police found the interview “highly suspicious” and went to the motel, where Clark was found in Tolman’s Dodge Intrepid. Tolman’s car was parked directly beside Clark’s Dodge Dart, which had signs of extensive damage to the front passenger’s side.
Tolman’s bail was set at $3,000 unsecured bond. Her next court appearance is on Dec. 5 for a dispositional conference.
A message left for Tolman’s attorney, Chris Berryment, was not returned Wednesday. Assistant District Attorney Clair Andrews, who is prosecuting the case, was also unavailable for comment.
Lauren Abbate — 861-9252
Twitter: @Lauren_M_Abbate
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.