Husband, Wife Charged In Hit And Run That Killed Retired Hudson, NH Police Officer Donna Briggs
CONCORD, NH (CBS) - Family and friends filled the courtroom in Rockingham Superior Court as 45-year-old Craig Sprowl was arraigned for negligent homicide in the death of 59-year-old Donna Briggs who was struck and killed riding her bicycle on Route 125 in Kingston, New Hampshire.
Police say Sprowl should have known he struck the retired police sergeant. "He killed my best friend, he should have known better," said Eden Gallant.
Surveillance video of the 2005 GMC Yukon he was allegedly driving proved crucial say investigators, showing Sprowl speeding away from the scene with heavy front end damage. They caught up with him at a Portsmouth, New Hampshire hotel Friday morning where they say his ex-wife Angela was trying to help him elude police.
The vehicle was found hidden in the woods behind a Derry, New Hampshire car dealership where he worked. Police have been working around the clock.
"There is a sense of relief, a small bit of accomplishment, but mostly thinking of the Briggs family in this tragic time," said New Hampshire State Police Colonel Nathan Noyes.
Donna Briggs was training for a charity ride for fallen police officers when she was hit and killed the morning of September 21. Her body was found down an embankment some eight hours later. Police say Sprowl admitted he'd been nodding off on the road and was hitting rumble strips.
It's a case that has also hit home for law enforcement. Briggs' friend and fellow officer Hudson Police Chief Bill Avery says he's grateful for an arrest. "Gratifying in one sense, but it's a tough day, a tough day for all of us."
Sprowl's wife Angela was also arrested and charged with hindering the investigation. Craig Sprowl was arraigned from a hospital bed due to issues with diabetes and is being preventively detained.
