SANFORD, Fla. – A Sanford city employee charged in a deadly hit-and-run involving a bicyclist was granted a $15,000 bond during her first court appearance Wednesday.
46-year-old Shawannia Smith was arrested Tuesday morning by the Sanford Police Department in connection with the crash. She is charged with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death and was cited for violating a cyclist’s right of way, according to court records.
During the hearing, the judge said the charge is not a capital offense and granted Smith bond. The judge also ordered her to wear a GPS monitor while out on bond, reducing the monitoring cost to $1 per day.
Sanford police said Smith was driving a city-owned garbage truck on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when she struck a bicyclist who was attempting to turn onto Airport Boulevard.
The bicyclist was taken to a hospital with injuries but later died, police said.
Investigators said witnesses called 911 after the crash and provided a description that led officers to the city-owned garbage truck and ultimately to Smith.\
Smith was employed by the City of Sanford at the time of the crash. In a statement, the city extended its condolences to the victim’s family and said Smith has worked for the city since March 1, 2021.
“The City of Sanford extends its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the bicyclist who lost their life in this tragic incident,” the statement read.
The city also said Smith has been placed on suspension pending the outcome of the investigation.
Smith is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 8 at 1:30 p.m.