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Woman charged in crash that killed WMU student

Posted at 3:58 PM, Jun 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-15 15:59:32-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Charges have been authorized against a 22-year-old woman for hitting and killing a Western Michigan University student with her vehicle.

Morgan Renee Rowley of Kalamazoo will be charged with one count of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and one count of Failure to Stop at a Personal Injury Accident, When at Fault, Resulting in Death.  She faces up to 15 years in prison for each of the felonies.

On May 11th, Nicholas Heil, 21, was jogging at about 9:20pm in the 5400 block of KL Avenue in Oshtemo Township, when he was hit by a white SUV. He was taken to the hospital where he died.  The driver left the scene. The vehicle was found about two hours later in a nearby apartment complex and a woman was arrested for Failure to Render Aid and Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Traffic Crash and released.

Court records show that Rowley pleaded guilty in January of 2015 to an Operating While Intoxicated charge and served four days in jail and one year of probation for an incident in Grand Traverse County.