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Five-month investigation leads to felony charge for August crash that killed Hannacroix woman
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Driver accused of ignoring epilepsy medication, testing positive for drugs after deadly collision
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Police seize drugs and weapons from vehicle; driver released under supervision of probation pending trial
DELMAR – Bethlehem police charged a 24-year-old Troy woman on Tuesday, Jan. 7 with criminally negligent homicide, pinning her for the cause of a fatal two-car accident that killed a Hannacroix woman last August.
Jacklyn Parker was originally charged with DWAI-Drugs after the Monday afternoon crash that killed Colleen M. Selkirk on River Road in Selkirk. The new charge follows a five-month investigation led by the Bethlehem Police Department.
According to the investigation, Parker was driving a 2022 Ford Mustang northbound on Monday, Aug. 19 when her vehicle crossed over the double yellow lines and collided with a southbound 2024 black Kia Soul driven by Selkirk.
First responders arrived at the scene at approximately 5:20 p.m. The impact of the crash sent Selkirk’s car across the front lawn of 1469 River Road and into a neighboring house at 1463 River Road. Selkirk was pronounced dead shortly at the scene.
“The Mustang impacted the other car almost headlight to headlight and sent the other car around,” said Selkirk Fire Chief Thomas Neri. “One car ended up against a house, causing minor damage to the property.”
Neri added his crew was able to respond immediately as they had just returned from another call. Although emergency responders quickly attended to the victim, Neri said the situation and Selkirk’s condition were already critical.
“We started chest compressions on the victim, in the car, [but] we quickly realized this was dire,” he said.
According to the Police Accident Report, Selkirk braked hard and pulled into the driveway of 1469 River Road to avoid a collision, but the Mustang, driven by Parker, smashed into the driver’s side of the Kia just forward of the front wheel.
The impact sent the Kia across the front yard and into the neighboring house, severing an outdoor waterline on the structure. The house sustained damage but was inspected later by Town building inspectors.
The owner of the house was able to cut through the airbag on the Kia to get to Selkirk and to shut off the vehicle, which was still running and in gear.

According to the police report, police found Parker still in the Mustang. Parker’s passenger was outside the vehicle but said that Parker had suffered a seizure while driving.
Officers observed an odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle and also observed marijuana joints inside.
The report said that Parker stated she suffers from epilepsy. She submitted to a test for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device which was negative and passed an HGN test. She refused to submit to a blood draw at the scene because she said she “does not like needles.”
Parker and her passenger were transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Both were able to exit the car on their own.
Neri noted that Parker eventually walked to the ambulance before being transported for care.
She again refused a blood draw at the hospital and also refused to submit to a blood draw for Albany Medical Hospital staff.
She submitted to and was evaluated by a Bethlehem police officer who is a certified Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) at the hospital which was indicative of impairment, according to court records obtained by Spotlight News through FOIL.
The police report said that Parker stated she did smoke marijuana at 11 a.m. and was at a concert the night before.
She was charged with Operating a Motor Vehicle While Ability Impaired by Drugs and at 8:27 p.m., Parker did submit to a blood draw. She was given an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on September 3.
According to the DWI Bill of Particulars, Parker was convicted of driving while ability impaired- alcohol on June 23, 2022. According to media reports, in that case, she was arrested for DWI at 2:11 a.m. on June 4, 2022, in Saratoga Springs for driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 percent.
Usually in first-time DWI misdemeanor arrests, the charges are reduced to DWAI, a violation, as it was in this case. Had the charge remained DWI, Parker would have been charged with felony DWAI in the River Road crash.
After the arrest on August 19, Bethlehem police also requested a Driver Review from State DMV and in that request stated that “Jacklyn states that she suffers from epilepsy and does not take her prescribed medication.”
According to the criminally negligent homicide complaint filed on January 7, it said that Parker lost control of her vehicle due to a seizure, and “it was further learned through medical records that the defendant has been non-compliant with taking her prescribed anti-seizure medications and is aware that her failure to take the prescribed medication could result in seizures.”
She was “operating a motor vehicle knowing that she was at risk of a seizure episode” and that directly contributed to the death of Colleen Selkirk, the complaint read.
Also in the police report, Bethlehem detectives inventoried the Mustang after getting a search warrant. The car yielded a quantity of marijuana, and toxicology reports later found the substance present in her blood.
The police report also detailed other items that were seized during the execution of the warrant on the vehicle. Entered into evidence were: .28 grams of cocaine, two straws with white residue, a plastic bag with white residue, a vape marijuana, a small piece of paper with a dosage unit on it sent to State Police lab, 19.59 grams of mushrooms gummies, 54.1 grams of marijuana, a spring-loaded knife, two empty vodka bottles, empty gummy bags, and marijuana tubes.
Parker was arraigned on the DWAI-Drugs charge on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Bethlehem Town Court, by Judge Andrew Kirby and that was adjourned to a later date in contemplation of grand jury action. On the criminally negligent homicide charge on January 7, Parker turned herself in to police and was arraigned by Kirby.
She was released under the supervision of probation with conditions added that she retains employment or consistently goes to school, submits to substance abuse evaluations and/or urinalysis testing, and is not to operate a motor vehicle.
Parker is due back in court on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Collin D’Arcy, Albany County ADA and Bureau Chief of the Vehicular Crimes Unit, is handling the case. Parker has retained attorney Kevin O’Brien Jr. of O’Brien & Eggleston, PLLC for her defense.
Meredith Savitt contributed to this story.