A pedestrian crossing a Moline roadway died after being struck by a van.
Detective Scott Williams with the Moline Police Department said that on Friday, October 10, 2014 around 9:15 p.m. a 53-year-old woman was crossing Avenue of the Cities at the 53rd Street intersection when she was hit by a Chrysler van.
The woman was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to Williams, the driver, 46-year-old Octavio Pizano, was arrested for aggravated driving under the influence.
In Pizano's first court appearance Sunday morning, Judge John Bell confirmed that the pedestrian hit was Brenda Gordon, the mother of Trudy Appleby.
Trudy Appleby was 11 years old when she went missing from her father's Moline yard in 1996. Every year, her family and the community holds a candlelight vigil to keep her memory alive.
Judge Bell charged Pizano with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, a class 2 felony, with a mandatory three to fourteen year prison sentence. Pizano will have a public defender appointed to him and his bond is set at $200,000.
Pizano's preliminary hearing will be on Tuesday, October 21, 2014.
On Saturday, October 11, one day after the crash, a post was published on the "Missing Trudy Appleby" Facebook Page stating: "Now I will share the story. I didn't want to say any names earlier until the family let the news release names. Trudy's mom Brenda was the pedestrian struck and killed in Moline last night by a drunk driver so please pray for this family lord knows they've been through enough."
Moline Police were asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact their Traffic Division at 309-524-2211.
