A felony case against Holmes Beach resident Cierra Shannon, 27, is moving forward.
A trial period was set to begin 9 a.m. Monday, April 4, under Judge Lon Arend of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court, including for the case involving a first-degree felony charge against Shannon for allegedly leaving the scene of a Feb. 10, 2021, hit-and-run traffic incident causing death.
The crash resulted in the death of 83-year-old Madelyn Dakin, a Michigan resident vacationing with her husband of 67 years, Gerald, in Holmes Beach.
Dakin was hit while walking across Gulf Drive around the 2700 block and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shannon turned herself into the Bradenton Police Department Feb. 11, 2021, after she was identified as the driver of a 2006 silver Chevrolet Trailblazer involved in the incident, according to court records.
Shannon was released Feb. 16, 2021, into pretrial probation after posting a $15,000 bond.
The state attorney’s office charged Shannon with a first-degree felony and she has since pleaded not guilty.
The state’s amended discovery exhibit and witness list detailed 35 witnesses who could be called to testify, including Gerald Dakin, witnesses from the scene, police officers and medical responders and examiners.
The document also listed items and materials that could be used as evidence, including Shannon’s vehicle, police reports, lab analyses, medical records, video footage of the incident, the city’s license plate reader records and a record of Shannon’s criminal history.
If convicted, a first-degree felony charge carries a minimum mandatory prison sentence of four years.
Shannon had been found guilty of driving under the influence in 2015, according to Manatee County court records.
The trial will be held at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
