Man charged in fatal Clifton Park hit-and-run

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office has charged a man in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that happened in Clifton Park on August 18. Lawrence Dippold, 77, of Clifton Park, has been charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury incident resulting in death, which is a felony.

On Thursday around 2:15 p.m., police responded to Vischer Ferry Road for a pedestrian hit by a vehicle. The pedestrian, Michele Heffern, 54, of Clifton Park, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was a member of the Vischer Ferry Volunteer Fire Company.

Dippold reportedly left the scene of the crash but was identified later that day after police released a suspect and vehicle description. He was arraigned in Clifton Park Town Court and released to pre-trial services. He is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

“I would like to thank everyone from the first responding officers, our Criminal Investigations Unit and Accident Reconstruction Unit for their hard work for bringing this case to a close so swiftly for the family of Mrs. Heffern. Additionally, I would like to thank the members of the public, businesses in the area and to the staff of the Town of Clifton Park for their cooperation for providing video evidence that was of great value to this investigation," said Sheriff Michael Zurlo.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the New York State Police, Capital Region Crime Analysis Center, Vischer Ferry Fire Department, and Clifton Park-Halfmoon EMS.