Woman arrested in fatal Nipomo hit-and-run

November 15, 2012

Marie M. Coyner

California Highway Patrol officers tracked down the alleged driver of a Toyota Prius who crashed into and killed a man walking on the shoulder of a Nipomo road. [SLO Tribune]

Officers arrested Marie M. Coyner, 23, Tuesday evening on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Vehicle parts at the scene of the body of 24-year-ol Christopher Tietjen led investigators to Coyner’s 2007 green Toyota Prius. Officers said that the Prius drove off the side of the road, striking and killing Tietjen who was walking on the shoulder of North Thompson Road near Sheehy Road. They did not know the speed of the vehicle, however, and are still investigating the possibility of drug or alcohol impairment.

CHP officers initially believed that the collision took place sometime between dusk Sunday and 11:30 a.m. Monday, but evidence indicated that the car may have collided with Tietjen prior to that time period. Officers found Tietjen’s body Monday afternoon partially hidden by grass and brush.

Coyner has no previous criminal history in San Luis Obispo County.

Tietjen had arrests for suspicious behavior around children, which included playing on a playground with kids ages one to five.


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She hit him with a Prius? Poor guy, never heard it coming.


How can anyone hit a human with a car and then” la la dee da”” drive off without a care in the world?

Does not matter what the kid was accused of , he was someones kid.


This driver is in alot of trouble. Why woulden’t she stop? One can only

quess, drunk, high, texting/talking on cell, whatever the reason this

will and should haunt her forever.


Or maybe her foot up on the dash board…


Too bad they don’t have an exact time of the accident, then they could check her phone records. Texting while driving maybe?