Woman charged with road rage pleads not guilty

Former exotic dancer Alexis Jill Bodkin has pleaded not guilty to charges she created a road-rage incident on Interstate 15 that killed a California motorcyclist.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle set a Nov. 8 trial date for the 22-year-old Las Vegas woman who is facing felony charges of reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Although the incident occurred on Jan. 28 just 30 miles south of Las Vegas, it took until Aug. 11 for prosecutors to obtain an indictment from a Clark County grand jury.

The incident began when one tractor-trailer tried to pass another but found it didn't have the power.

The side-by-side trucks blocked traffic and irritated motorists who couldn't get past.

Bodkin is alleged to have been one of those motorists and is charged with passing the trucks on the right shoulder, swerving in front of the two trucks and then slamming on the brakes of her Lexus.

Marianne Reed, the driver of one truck, told the Nevada Highway Patrol that when the Lexus driver slammed on her brakes, the truck had to do the same.

Anthony Scott Wray died of massive head injuries after his motorcycle ran into the back of Reed's trailer. The motorcycle skidded under the wheels of the trailer and was dragged for a short distance in a shower of sparks before it caught fire.

At an earlier court hearing, Bodkin's attorney, Richard Wright, called the fatal incident nothing more than "an accident."

Wright said Bodkin was one of those who immediately called 911 to report the collision and she then called the Nevada Highway Patrol on two other occasions to give more information about the incident that closed down much of the freeway.

Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker said Wray's motorcycle left a mark from its handlebar on the rear of Reed's trailer, although it is suspected that Wray may have been preparing to pass between the two trucks when events escalated.

Reed said she initially had been unaware the collision had occurred and didn't stop until she saw the smoke from the burning motorcycle. That also may have been the case with the second trucker, who never stopped and has yet to be located.

Bodkin's identity was unknown until she notified police after the incident.

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