A woman wanted for her involvement in a fatal motor vehicle crash last October has been arrested after the Linn County Sheriff’s Office issued a plea to the public last week to locate her, Sheriff Tim Mueller said Monday.
Janet Lee Reppy, 39, of Lebanon, turned herself in at the Albany Police Department at about noon and was lodged in the Linn County Jail on a Linn County Circuit Court Warrant for Manslaughter 1 regarding the death of a passenger in her vehicle, James Virgil Pointer, 21, of Lebanon, and two counts of Assault 3 for injuries sustained in the crash by each of her other two passengers, Tyler Adams, 21, of Lebanon and Kelsey Truett, 21, of Sweet Home.
On Oct. 29, Pointer died as a result of injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle crash that occurred Oct. 20 on Santiam Bluffs Road near Jefferson.
Linn County Sheriff’s deputies investigated the single-vehicle crash and determined that the driver, Reppy, was under the influence of alcohol at the time of crash. Reppy suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital. She then left the hospital and disappeared, Mueller said.
He said Reppy made arrangements in February, through her attorney, to turn herself in but failed to do so. She was also contacted after family members provided detectives with her cell phone number but still failed to turn herself in or disclose her whereabouts. When a warrant was issued by the court on March 13, family members were asked to inform the Sheriff’s Office if they learned where she was.
Acting on a tip received Monday, Sheriff’s detectives went to 31831 Berlin Road, Lebanon, where Reppy had reportedly been staying since May 3.
Detectives learned that Reppy had been informed law enforcement was on the way and had left about 10 minutes before the detectives arrived, Mueller said. Family members were warned about potential charges of hindering prosecution if she did not turn herself in by 2 p.m. Monday and
A short time later, Reppy turned herself in at the Albany Police Department where she was then taken into custody by Linn County Detectives, Mueller said.