Wareham police catch Cape hit-and-run suspect

May 23, 2010

Wareham Police on Saturday apprehended 18-year-old Gina Giovangelo, of Hyannis, who fled her arraignment at Barnstable County Court where she was being charged with motor-vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of personal injury causing death.

Giovangelo had been arrested in a the highly-publicized death of Lillian White, 47, who was in her wheelchair when struck by Giovangelo in Barnstable around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18. According to police, the wheelchair was dragged for 50 feet by Giovangelo's, and Giovangelo was aware she had hit somebody because a pocketbook hit her windshield. White died several hours later.

On Friday, Giovangelo stepped outside the court house to smoke a cigarette before her arraignment and never returned.

Barnstable Police received a tip that Giovangelo was in the Wareham area and was possibly in a white Toyota Camry. Wareham Police spotted the vehicle leaving the Rosewood Motel at 3115 Cranberry Highway. The vehicle was stopped and two occupants were questioned.

As they were questioning the two, police learned that Giovangelo had run out the rear door of the motel into a wooded area. Wareham Police patrol officers, along with Wareham K-9, bike officers and Barnstable police officers, saturated the area and after approximately 30 minutes, Giovangelo was spotted near a local golf course. She continued to run and was quickly apprehended.

She was transported to Wareham Police Headquarters where she was booked and then transported to Barnstable Police Headquarters. The two occupants of the Camry, female Jordan Robinson, and male Cameron Byers, both 20-years old, of Barnstable, were also arrested and are being charged by Barnstable police with being accessories after the fact for assisting Giovangelo.

Giovangelo was arraigned - in handcuffs, this time - and pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.  Her bail was set at $500,000.  She had posted the $10,000 cash bail after her arrest on Thursday.