FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Taunton man was back in court Tuesday to face charges in a crash that killed a Fall River woman earlier this year.

Ricky Jorge Ponte, 29, was arraigned on charges from a recent Bristol County Grand Jury indictment.

He pleaded not guilty to manslaughter while OUI, OUI liquor resulting in serious injury, leaving the scene of personal injury and death, and leaving the scene of personal injury.

The crash on Route 44 back in March claimed the life of 67-year-old Peggy McGowan, who worked as a crossing guard for the Fall River school district.

“All we want to say is just thank everyone for their support that they’ve shown us. It’s really helped us through this,” her niece, Katelyn McGowan, told 12 News outside court on Tuesday.

Police estimated that Ponte was driving more than 70 miles per hour when he hit McGowan’s vehicle head-on. He had allegedly crossed into the opposite lane of travel to pass a Jeep on the two-lane road.

First responders found McGowan trapped inside her SUV and her 16-year-old passenger outside in a state of shock, according to police. Ponte’s passenger was also in the area and reportedly told police the crash happened while they were on their way to the bar.

Ponte drove off after the crash, according to police, but he was found a short time later after an employee of a nearby gas station reported that a bloody man had walked into the store. Police said Ponte was slurring his speech, smelled of alcohol and had no memory of the crash.

All four people were taken to the hospital, where McGowan later died. Police said her teenage passenger suffered serious, but not life-threatening injuries.

Ponte was released on bail following his arraignment. He’s due back in court on Sept. 9 for a pretrial conference, and also has a pretrial hearing scheduled for Nov. 20. In the meantime, he’s been ordered to remain alcohol-free and submit to random testing.

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