THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — The woman accused of causing a crash that killed one person and injured two others was charged on Tuesday.
Nicole R. Romanoff, 33, is facing nine charges related to the fatal crash, according to Thurston County Superior Court documents. Her charges include felony murder, vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault, hit-and-run fatality, attempting to elude police, two counts of assault and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Romanoff is accused of approaching multiple people in a Lacey neighborhood Saturday and asking them for fentanyl, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office (TCSO). When one person asked the suspect to leave, Romanoff, who was driving a truck, allegedly accelerated toward that person, causing them to flee.
She then drove out of the neighborhood and then led police on a chase, topping speeds of over 100 miles per hour. The pursuit resulted in a crash that killed a woman and injured two other people in the victim's car.
Family and friends of the victim, 70-year-old Gina Munna, attended the Monday hearing. They asked the judge not to release the suspect.
”Somebody this dangerous should not have been out in the community,” said Greg Munna, the victim's son.
According to the TCSO, Romanoff had previously been arrested 47 times. She also had three active arrest warrants in King County at the time of the crash.
"It's shocking," " said Julia Gorton, Munna's niece. "It's absolutely shocking."
Gorton and her family don't blame the police. They blame the woman and the justice system.
When asked if she blames the police for chasing the woman, she said, "[The suspect] is responsible for the crash, for the death of my aunt, for the injury of my parents."
Gorton's father suffered minor injuries in the crash, but her mother suffered numerous broken bones and a head injury so severe that they had to repeatedly remind her that her sister was killed in the crash.
”It’s a real travesty," Gorton said. "It’s a miscarriage of justice and we saw what happens when we do nothing.”
TCSO Sheriff Derek Sanders defended his agency's decision to chase after the woman driving the truck.
“Attempting to run someone over with your vehicle was always a pursuable offense," Sanders said. "We're still going through all the investigation. We're letting State Patrol, you know, review all of our dash cam and all those kinds of things. But based on the information I have right now, it would have been very challenging for me to say, 'Well, you know what? At least if we're not involved, we can't take the heat for it,' knowing that this person is still going to go on and kill someone based on how they're driving.”