Suspect in Key West hit-and-run death due in court Thursday

A Key West woman who faces multiple felony charges after striking and killing a Cudjoe Key woman with her car is scheduled for arraignment Thursday.

Key West police say April Dawn Thomason, 43, was driving her black Mercedes-Benz around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 16 outbound on South Roosevelt Boulevard near Key West International Airport when she lost control. She veered up on the sidewalk and struck Verna Stephanie Collins, 49, who was walking with a friend.

Thomason reportedly kept driving and was forced to stop by a vehicle in front of her. Two bicyclists who saw the hit and run caught up to Thomason's car and detained her until police arrived, according to police reports.

Collins, who worked for Key West dentist Claude Harris, was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

As of Tuesday, Thomason was in the Stock Island jail on $200,000 bond. She faces felony charges of negligent homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and hit and run.

Days before the incident, on Sept. 14, Thomason wrote on her Facebook page that she was "asking for prayers." She appeared to be in the middle of detoxing from something.

A message left with the Monroe County Public Defender's Office was not returned Tuesday.

Thomason, who had previously worked at the Rick's/Durty Harry's bar complex on Duval Street, is scheduled for arraignment in front of Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Mark Jones Thursday at 8:45 a.m. at the Freeman Justice Center in Key West.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 9:16 AM with the headline "Suspect in Key West hit-and-run death due in court Thursday."