Authorities identify woman killed in crash, allegedly by Palm Desert HS coach
A 64-year-old woman who was fatally struck, allegedly by a Palm Desert High School teacher and football coach, was identified today.
The Riverside County coroner's office identified her as Nancy Valdes of Palm Desert.
The crash was reported at 6:09 p.m. March 4 at Calliandra Street and Alamo Drive, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
A gray Nissan Frontier being driven eastbound on Calliandra Street at an unknown speed struck a woman who was walking along the street, according to Sgt. Shaun Griffith of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. She was pronounced dead at the scene, on the 73200 block of Calliandra Street, according to the coroner's office.
"Intoxication appears to have played a role in this collision,'' Griffith said.
Cameron Francis Curtis, 31, of Palm Desert, was detained at the scene and subsequently booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, where he remains on no bail.
He pleaded not guilty to a murder charge March 8 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to court records. He's set to make his next court appearance Friday.
Curtis has no prior convictions in Riverside County.
The sheriff's Palm Desert station urged anyone with information regarding the crash to call them at 760-836-1600. Tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 800-782-7463 or 800-473-7847.
