MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A preliminary hearing for a Berkeley County woman accused of causing the death of a 51-year-old man in a July 15 head-on collision on W.Va. 45 southwest of Martinsburg was continued Wednesday.
Jessica Nicole Faircloth, 21, was charged with driving under the influence with death after the Honda Accord she was driving crossed the center line and collided with a Triumph motorcycle driven by David E. Kessel, who died at the crash scene.
After the crash, Faircloth tested positive for having benzodiazepine, cannabinoid and opiates in her blood, police have said.
Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Jean Games-Neely said Wednesday that the public defender's office for the Eastern Panhandle was assigned to handle Faircloth's case minutes before the woman's scheduled hearing in Berkeley County Magistrate Court.
Police have said that Faircloth indicated she was distracted by a dropped cigarette before to the collision and didn't remember anything else, according to court records.
