By Associated Press - Thursday, March 11, 2021

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A Las Vegas woman has been arrested on suspicion of driving away after her vehicle struck and fatally injured a tow truck operator on the shoulder of a Las Vegas-area freeway, the Nevada Highway Patrol said Thursday.

An anonymous tip led to the identification of Colette Patrice Despain as the driver of a white Ford van that struck Ryan Matthew Billotte late Tuesday on the 215 Beltway southwest of the Las Vegas Strip, Trooper Travis Smaka said.

Billotte, 48, was pronounced dead at a hospital where dozens of tow trucks with flashing amber lights conducted a drive-by memorial that was recorded and posted on Twitter by a Clark County firefighters.

Despain, 51, was arrested Wednesday and jailed in Las Vegas pending an initial court appearance on charges including felony hit-and-run causing death.

Court and jail records did not immediately reflect if Despain had an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

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