A Bentley woman who ran a red light in October and killed a 4-year-old Mt. Pleasant girl has been charged with a one-year misdemeanor in federal court.
Yvette Ross, 51, was driving a Jeep that ran a traffic light west of Mt. Pleasant, hitting a van driven by Mandy Flachs, 31, of Mt. Pleasant.
Mandy’s daughter, 4-year-old Kaylee Lynn Flachs, died at the scene.
Ross is charged with a moving violation causing death in federal court.
She faces federal charges because Kaylee was Native American and the accident happened at Winn and M-20, within the boundaries of the federal Isabella Indian Reservation.
Federal law does not have a traffic accident causing death charge, so federal prosecutors assimilated the existing state law in charging the case.
Ross was arraigned on the charge Thursday.
Ross was northbound on Winn Road when she hit the van, which was on M-20.
Kaylee was in a booster seat in the back seat.
Mandy Flachs was critically injured in the crash and hospitalized for several weeks.
Ross was treated at a hospital and released that day.
William Quakenbush, 59, from Chippewa Township, was involved in a secondary crash after the impact and not injured.
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Rick Mills is editor of the Morning Sun. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and has been with the Morning Sun since 1991. For more, see him on Facebook or follow on Twitter: @RickMills2. Reach the author at rmills@michigannewspapers.com or follow Rick on Twitter: @RickMills2.