Modesto woman fatally hit by car

Modesto woman pushing a shopping cart in Ceres was killed Tuesday night by a suspected drunk driver, according to the Ceres Police Department. Penny Hinckley, 47, was walking with her brother south on Rockefeller Drive northeast of Whitmore Avenue and Highway 99 at 8:37 p.m. when a white Jeep Cherokee crossed over from the northbound lane and struck her.

Her brother suffered a minor injury. She was treated at the scene and taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, where she was pronounced dead. The driver, Jimmy Lee Dickinson, 33, of Ceres, is suspected of being under the influence of drugs and-or alcohol, according to police. His car came to a stop on the east side of the road in a planter east of the sidewalk.

He remained at the scene after the accident. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter and is being held in the Stanislaus County Jail on $100,000 bail, police said. Investigators ask anyone with information about Dickinson to contact police Sgt. Dan Vierra at 538-5723 or danny.vierra@ci.ceres.ca.us.