A woman has been charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol after she killed a police officer in a golf cart crash.

The death of police officer Jeff McCollough, 52, has led to a 57-year-old woman named Julie Nikkola being charged with negligent manslaughter and four counts of drink driving after a golf cart she was manning overturned and crashed.

This occurred in Bonner country in Idaho, according to court documents from Wednesday, 26th October.

The police officer, who hailed from the city of Spokane in Washington, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash after the arrival of Bonner County Sheriff’s deputies.

Nikkola was questioned by Idaho State Police officers after she was taken to a nearby hospital along with the four other victims of the crash, whose injuries were described as “non-life threatening.”

After admitting to having a few drinks before getting behind the wheel of the golf cart that was carrying five passengers, including Jeffrey McCollough and his wife, Nikkola told investigators that she began speeding along a road before the golf cart started to shake.

Nikkola then allegedly claimed that one of the occupants of the vehicle grabbed its wheel, which caused the cart to turn over and crash.

A couple driving in a car behind the shaking cart who witnessed the incident then confirmed that Nikkola was driving the golf cart and that the McCulloughs were seated at the back of the vehicle.

After undergoing a breathalyser test three hours after the crash, it was revealed that Nikkola had a blood alcohol level of 0.092, with the legal limit in Idaho set at 0.08.

The 57-year-old woman is now facing a USD 15,000 (GBP 12,994) fine and up to 15 years behind bars if she is convicted, according to reports.