CHARGES PENDING: Hit and Run Suspect Told Police She Didn't Know She'd Hit Anyone

The Saline Police Department has released the police report detailing the hit and run that occurred in downtown Saline shortly after midnight on Dec. 21, 2022.

A 22-year-old woman, waiting in the pedestrian island on Michigan Avenue, was struck by an SUV that had been going the wrong way on Hall Street before it entered the roadway, jumped the curb and struck the pedestrian.

The driver then fled eastbound on Michigan Avenue.

Emergency workers arrived and rendered aid at the scene. The victim, Alison Goodnoe, was transported by Huron Valley Ambulance to the University of Michigan hospital. Goodnoe suffered a broken tooth, concussion, head laceration and extensive bruising.

The Saline Post is not releasing the suspect's name since she has not been arraigned, according to records available on the district court website.

Police interviewed witnesses at the scene and at Dan’s Downtown Tavern, where the suspect had been drinking. The suspect was there for a party of Pittsfield Township employees. According to the investigation, she and another woman stayed after the party broke up and continued to drink.

After putting out a call for the public’s help in identifying the suspect, Saline Police fielded many tips. They inspected several matching vehicles and talked to their owners in the days after the crash.

Several businesses provided security video and screencaps of the incident. Security video at a nearby business also showed a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle leaving the parking lot behind Dan’s and going the wrong way on Hall Street. The video shows the vehicle stopped at Michigan Avenue for a moment before it pulled into the roadway and then jumped the curb.

After police received anonymous phone calls identifying the suspect, Detective Bill Stanford visited the woman’s house. Nobody answered the door and there was no vehicle at the home.

On Dec. 23, attorney Michael Vincent contacted the Saline Police Department to advise that he was representing the suspect.

On Dec. 26, the woman and her attorney arrived at the police department for an interview.

The woman refused to answer questions about how much alcohol she consumed. She told police she was lost and looking at Google Maps when she drove over the median. She told police she had no idea she’d hit someone. She only learned the next day when someone sent her a message to look at the Saline Police Department’s Facebook post about the incident, she told police.

The police report indicates the woman may have consumed a shot and three Triple Jam alcoholic beverages after the employee party ended.

The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office has authorized complaints for reckless driving and failure to stop at a personal injury crash.

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