EVANS CITY - Nicole Anderson knew she hit something in the fall while driving her car through Zelienople.

But even with the car's windshield partially caved in, the Lawrence County woman drove off, later telling police she was too scared to stop to see what she hit, authorities said.

What she allegedly hit the night of Sept. 3 was 46-year-old Robert Beneroski riding his bicycle. Beneroski, a one-time member of the elite Army Rangers, died instantly in the crash on Route 68.

Anderson, 21, of Edinburg was arraigned Wednesday on vehicular homicide and drunk driving charges stemming from the fatal crash.

While Anderson claimed she only drank three beers that night, investigators determined she was more than twice above the legal limit for alcohol when her Chevrolet Cavalier struck the rear of Beneroski's bike, according to court documents.

The crash threw Beneroski, of Zelienople, backward and into the car, smashing its windshield. Beneroski's body caromed off the car, onto the road and into a guardrail.

Dennis Trzeciak, a Butler County deputy coroner who pronounced Beneroski dead, said the victim likely died when his head struck the guardrail.

Anderson faces several charges including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. She faces a 3-to-6-year mandatory minimum prison sentence if convicted on the charge.

Additionally, she is charged with homicide by vehicle, causing an accident involving death, reckless driving and two counts of DUI.

Nearly four hours after the 11 p.m. crash Anderson was stopped in Rochester Township, Beaver County, still in her badly damaged car, and arrested for drunk driving, authorities said.

The second DUI charge is part of the case to be heard in Butler County.

Anderson's parents accompanied her at arraignment before District Judge Wayne Seibel.The defendant told Seibel she lives at home and has been unemployed since August when she worked for Keystone Security.Anderson, who appeared at arraignment without an attorney, plans to be represented by the public defender's office. A preliminary hearing date was not scheduled.She and her parents declined comment after the proceedings.Seibel, citing Anderson's cooperation with police during their investigation, released her on a $25,000 unsecured bond. She is prohibited from drinking alcohol as part of the condition of her bond.But despite Anderson's cooperation, police said that during an initial Sept. 7 interview she lied to officers about her whereabouts prior to the crash. A day later, she admitted her lie when she again spoke to police, documents said.In the second meeting with police, Anderson said she left her home about 10:15 p.m. Sept. 3 and was in Zelienople about 40 minutes later on the way to visit her boyfriend in New Sewickley Township, Beaver County.About 30 minutes before leaving she consumed three beers at her house.Anderson turned onto Route 68 in Zelienople and traveled for only a minute when she "heard a thud," documents said. She was aware her car hit something because of the noise and the damage to her windshield."Anderson stated she should have stopped but she didn't because she was scared to see what she had hit," documents said.No one saw the crash but several neighbors heard it.One neighbor ran to check and saw Beneroski's body on the side of the road with the twisted bike about 10 to 15 feet away.Police said Beneroski was wearing dark clothing and his bike had no light and was only equipped with a small reflector on the back.Beneroski, who worked for a lumberyard in Fombell, Beaver County, had not driven a vehicle for some time and instead chose to ride his bicycle as his primary mode of transportation.Officers immediately sent a radio advisory to other police departments in Butler and Beaver counties to be on the lookout for a vehicle with heavy damage.A car matching that description was found about 2:50 a.m. Sept. 4 when Rochester Township police stopped the driver, identified as Anderson, for making an illegal U-turn on Route 65.A blood test determined her BAC was .112 at the time she was stopped, documents said. A BAC of 0.08 percent, under state law, is considered intoxicated for motorists.Zelienople police Sgt. Joseph DeSanzo Jr., who investigated the fatal crash, said Wednesday he did not believe Anderson stopped anywhere during the nearly four hours between the time of the crash and her arrest in Beaver County.He said she was not familiar with the Zelienople area and was apparently driving around lost. She said she did not having anything to drink during that time.Butler County District Attorney Tim McCune said the delay in filing charges was due, in part, to the scope of investigation and the time needed to determine if Anderson was drunk when her car struck Beneroski."A recognized scientific formula was used to extrapolate what her BAC was at that time," McCune said.The formula relies on medical evidence that the body "burns off" about .015 percent alcohol in the blood in an hour.Based on her BAC when arrested in Beaver County, Dr. Karl Williams, a forensic pathologist at Ellwood City Hospital, concluded Anderson's BAC at the time was 0.187 percent.