Prescott Park fatality: Woman charged with manslaughter, negligent homicide in Portsmouth

Ian Lenahan, Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read

PORTSMOUTH — A Hampton woman is facing reckless manslaughter and negligent homicide charges in connection to the August death of a pedestrian in front of Prescott Park.

Yvonne Reed, 50, was indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury, according to court documents released Wednesday morning.

Portsmouth police had previously reported a driver struck a man with her car shortly before 5 a.m. Aug. 1 at the intersection of lower State Street and Marcy Street.

Portsmouth police investigate Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 after a pedestrian was struck and injured by a car near Prescott Park.
Portsmouth police investigate Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 after a pedestrian was struck and injured by a car near Prescott Park.

The person who died was identified by police as Robert Mayo, a 53-year-old last known to be residing in Hooksett. He was transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Portsmouth police identified Reed as the driver. Police previously said she was operating a blue Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme when she allegedly struck Mayo. As city and state police responded to the accident, the car was parked a short distance away on Daniel Street with crime scene tape posted around it.

An Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is surrounded by crime tape on Daniel Street in Portsmouth Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, after it struck a pedestrian near Prescott Park early in the morning, according to police.
An Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is surrounded by crime tape on Daniel Street in Portsmouth Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, after it struck a pedestrian near Prescott Park early in the morning, according to police.

In August, police said the driver was uninjured and she reported the incident to the department. Prescott Park remained open to the public after the fatal crash, though the main entrance was temporarily closed as authorities investigated.

The county’s manslaughter indictment against Reed, a special felony, alleges she drove her vehicle into the man and over his body, “injuries (that) caused the death."

The manslaughter charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison if the driver is found guilty, while the negligent homicide charge, a Class B felony, carries a maximum jail term of between 3.5 to 7 years. The indictment indicates the grand jury found there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Reed did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon. Court records do not list an attorney for Reed. Neither court documents nor prosecutors were immediately available to provide further information on why Reed has been charged.

Portsmouth police closed an intersection near the entrance to Prescott Park Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, after a pedestrian was struck by a car.
Portsmouth police closed an intersection near the entrance to Prescott Park Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, after a pedestrian was struck by a car.

The Hampton resident is scheduled to be arraigned at Rockingham Superior Court in Brentwood on April 24 at 1 p.m.

Reed’s case is being prosecuted by assistant county attorneys Roger “Rusty Conant” Chadwick Jr. and Taylor Jeanne Beucler.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH Prescott Park pedestrian fatality: Woman charged