Driver in fatal Woodstock pedestrian crash takes plea deal

WOODSTOCK — The driver accused in a DUI crash that killed a 62-year-old pedestrian last December took a plea deal Tuesday that could let him avoid jail time. The Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office originally charged Hank Ryan Rodrigues, 39, of Reading, with a felony count of DUI with death resulting from a single-vehicle crash that left Hartland resident Janet Spencer dead at the scene. On Tuesday, Rodrigues pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent operation causing serious bodily injury. The plea carries a two-year deferred sentence. If he violates the terms of his probation within those two years, Rodrigues could be sentenced to prison. On Dec. 21, 2025, just before 5:30 p.m., Woodstock Police Officer Elizabeth Turco responded to a reported crash with injury on South Road in Woodstock, where Rodrigues, the driver, and a friend of Spencer’s were standing near her, according to a police affidavit.

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