WARE, Mass. (AP) - A woman faces a drunken driving charge in
connection with a car crash in Ware that led to the apparent
electrocution death of a passenger.

Investigators said 20-year-old Amanda King of Hardwick was
driving a Honda Civic that struck a utility pole on June 23. The
impact of the crash broke a glass insulator on top of the pole,
causing voltage to pass down the pole to the wet pavement below.

Police said 19-year-old Vanessa Kotowski was apparently
electrocuted when she stepped out of the vehicle and on to the
charged pavement after the crash.

Ware Police Chief Dennis Healey said Wednesday that the accident
and death remain under investigation, but that King has been
ordered to appear in Eastern Hampshire District Court on a charge
of operating under the influence.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)