HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A woman has pleaded guilty to a number of charges — including involuntary manslaughter — in connection with a deadly hit-and-run that occurred in Henrico County in April 2022.
According to court records, Ciera Hope Childress, 25, from Henrico, pleaded guilty to the following charges on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023:
- Misdemeanor driving while intoxicated — second offense within five years
- Felony failure to stop in event of a driving accident with injury
- Felony involuntary manslaughter
On the morning of April 26, 2022, officers with the Henrico County Police Division responded to a hit-and-run crash in the area of Monument Avenue and Horsepen Road. A pedestrian victim — later identified as 61-year-old Thomas “Tommy” Sotos — was found at the scene and died after being taken to the hospital.
The following day, it was reported that Childress had been arrested in Richmond.
Residents in the area told 8News that they believed the driver of the car that hit Sotos may have been trying to avoid traffic by navigating around backed-up vehicles through one of the nearby driveways as Sotos was retrieving a trash can at the end of his driveway.
Childress’ next court appearance is expected to be in April for a pre-sentence report.
