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Montgomery woman charged in fatal Aurora crash

A 39-year-old Montgomery woman has been accused of driving under the influence of marijuana when she struck and killed a homeless man walking in downtown Aurora in February, authorities said.

Cherise Wardlow, of the first block of Circle Drive East, has been charged with aggravated DUI and misdemeanor DUI after the results of a blood test taken the day of the Feb. 2 crash tested positive for THC, an ingredient in marijuana, according to a news release.

Wardlow, who was driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander, told police that she was traveling south on Broadway Avenue in the right lane when she heard a loud thump from the front of the vehicle, the news release stated. She immediately stopped and discovered she had hit the man, identified as Donald L. Early, 54, authorities said. Early, who was walking south in the roadway, was pronounced dead at the scene.

After police received the results of the blood test March 25, a warrant was issued for Wardlow's arrest. She turned herself into authorities Monday and was released after posting 10 percent of her $75,000 bail.

She is due in court May 8.

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