Melissa Ramirez, 27, has been charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle in the deaths of 38-year-old Bridgeport Police Officer Cooper Whiteside and 34-year-old Brittany Anne Islami.
Cooper Whiteside, 38, and his girlfriend, Brittany Islami, 34, were killed after a Jeep had struck their motorcycle head-on around 2:45 a.m. on July 13 on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury.
Police obtained Ramirez’s medical records and learned that she had a 0.14 blood-alcohol level after the crash, amounting to nearly twice the legal limit.
She also tested positive for cannabis, the warrant states.
The defendant was also charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs/alcohol, traveling unreasonably fast, and failure to drive in the proper lane, the Danbury Police Department announced on Friday.
Data from the Jeep showed that the vehicle was traveling 63 mph prior to the crash and 56 mph at the time of impact, while Sugar Hollow Road has a posted speed limit of 45 mph.
“I’m going to ask that the bond remain as set,” said Danbury State’s Attorney Stacey Haupt Miranda during Ramirez’s arraignment at Danbury Superior Court Monday.
However, Miranda also indicated for the record that “there is a detainer on her from immigration.”
Ramirez’s attorney, Daniel Thibodeau, told the court he only just learned of his client’s detainer and didn’t know the specifics of why, noting that “Ramirez was born in Mexico but has lived her whole life in Connecticut.”
He also said she has two children, ages 13 and 5, and significant family locally.
Ramirez was arraigned in state Superior Court in Danbury Monday where her bond was reduced to $300,000.
Ramirez appeared in court Tuesday morning.
During her arraignment, Ramirez appeared before Judge Seán McGuinness in handcuffs and a tan jumpsuit alongside attorney Dan Thibodeau, appearing visibly upset and wiping away tears as McGuinness advised her of her rights.
Brittany leaves behind three young children, her mother, sister, and many other family and friends.
Whiteside had been on the force with the Bridgeport Police Department for two years at the time of his death.
Whiteside served as a firefighter in the Stony Hill Volunteer Fire Department and Brookfield Fire Department, and as a captain-in-training and vice president with the West Redding Volunteer Fire Department.
The officer had dreamed of being a cop since childhood.
“After only 2 years on the force, Cooper had made of himself an officer of distinction, never wavering in his purpose to serve and protect with integrity, humility, and compassion,” his obituary states.
Whiteside was a musician—a skilled violinist and piano player—an outdoor enthusiast, certified rescue diver, a handy-man and an epic jokester.
He developed a love early on for anything with a motor, including quads, boats, dirt bikes, jet skis, cars, and his treasured motorcycles.
His funeral was held in Bethel on Friday.
In the viral moment that led to this investigation, around 2:45 a.m. on July 13, 27-year-old Melissa Ramirez was allegedly driving a 2012 Jeep Compass northbound on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury when she veered left, crossing over the double yellow lines and crashing head-on into a Harley-Davidson.
The motorcyclist, an off-duty Bridgeport Police Officer Cooper Whiteside, 38, and passenger Brittany Islami, 34, died at the scene, according to police.
Ramirez also suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital.
Police found an empty bottle of Corona beer, an empty 12 ounce can of Corona beer, and a THC vape cartridge in the vehicle.
Ramirez remains in custody pending trial.