LEOMINSTER — A Leominster man charged with striking a teenage bicyclist with his car, fleeing the scene, and disposing of the mangled bike in a river was ordered held on $15,000 cash bail at his arraignment Monday.
Daniel Brand pleaded not guilty in Leominster District Court to charges including leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and witness intimidation.
Brand, 34, is accused of striking 16-year-old Joshua Carillo on May 5. He allegedly drove from the scene with the bike lodged in his undercarriage, then stopped about a half-mile away to throw it over a fence, down an embankment, and into a river, police said.
He also went to the home of a woman who saw him throwing the bike away and threatened her if she told police, Lieutenant Michael Goldman said. Brand also does not have a valid driver’s license, police said.
Brand’s lawyer, Ellen O’Connor, said outside court that her client is innocent.
Both of Carillo’s legs were broken. He has been released from the hospital and remains in a wheelchair.
Brand is scheduled to be back in court on June 11.