"A business executive accused of drunken driving told State Police he did not remember driving into a woman as she walked in front of the State Police barracks in Andover Sunday - a crash that claimed the life of the 30-year-old Haverhill woman, a prosecutor said today.
Robert V. Bryant was arraigned today in Lawrence District Court where he pleaded not guilty to numerous charges including motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence for hitting Cynthia Anne Ray Sunday afternoon in Andover.
His defense attorney, Francis O'Brien, said Bryant is the chief operating officer for MCA Solutions, a job he handles while working from his Haverhill home where he has lived for the past 15 years.
'This is a horrible tragedy,' O'Brien said during Bryant's arraignment. He said the 50-year-old Bryant has never faced criminal charges before this weekend. 'He's a good man who unfortunately is now a defendant in a very serious case.'
O'Brien also said that Bryant, who wore a dark suit and white shirt during the arraignment and kept his head bent down while in the courtroom, has repeatedly asked about Ray.
'The (Bryant) family is distraught over what happened to this young woman,' O'Brien said. 'He is only asking about her and her family.'''
The full article is featured in the Boston Globe, December 13, 2010: Accused drunk driver did not recall crash that killed Haverhill woman, prosecutor says
