FARMINGTON – Sarah Forbes walked out of the Franklin County jail Wednesday afternoon, hours after a judge set a lower bail for her on a manslaughter charge than the amount she had been unable to post for an earlier, lesser charge.

Forbes, 43, of Farmington, had been jailed on a charge of aggravated operating under the influence in connection with a Friday snowmobile crash that mortally injured Lisa Cerqueira, 20, of Wilton.

Cerqueira died Tuesday evening.

Forbes, who had been detained at the jail on the OUI charge, was rearrested and charged with manslaughter Wednesday morning.

When the suspect made her first court appearance on the manslaughter charge later in the day, a judge set $10,000 unsecured bail for her. With no requirement to pay any cash bail, Forbes was later released, according to a jail supervisor.

Cerqueira died from injuries she received when Forbes’ 2001 Mercury Mountaineer struck a snowmobile the younger woman had been riding on in Farmington on Friday, according to a police affidavit.

Forbes had been held in jail since the accident, unable to post $2,000 cash bail or $20,000 real estate surety, on the OUI charge, which is still pending.

An affidavit filed with the court Wednesday by Franklin County Sheriff’s Detective David St. Laurent stated that Forbes’ blood alcohol level was .16 percent when she was charged with driving under the influence after the Friday accident.

Forbes admitted to police that she was the driver and had consumed alcohol before operating the vehicle, the police affidavit stated.

Cerqueira was a passenger on a snowmobile driven by her fiancé, Rick Billian, 23, of Strong, an off-duty Farmington police officer. They had crossed Routes 2 and 4 to reach the other side of a trail when a sled ski got stuck on the curb. Billian got off the machine to straighten the skis while Cerqueira stayed on it. That’s when Forbes came along. Cerqueira was thrown from the machine when it was struck.

The couple were in a party of five snowmobiles. One had made it across the highway safely and Billian’s made it across before getting stuck at the head of the trail. The other three were waiting to cross.

Two other off-duty Farmington police officers were among the snowmobilers.

The highway has no breakdown lane in that section, which is near Boivin’s Harvest House Restaurant and Farmington Tire.

In court Wednesday, Forbes’ court-appointed lawyer, John Alsop, argued for a lower bail than requested by the prosecution. Judge John McElwee set the bail at $10,000 unsecured. If Forbes fails to appear in court, the state could require her to pay the cash.

Assistant District Attorney James Andrews had requested Forbes be held on $5,000 cash bail or $20,000 surety and requested that conditions set Monday on the lesser charge continue if she is released from jail. Those conditions include no driving and no consumption or possession of alcohol.

Alsop said his client has no criminal record.

“She’s never spent a day in jail in her life,” Alsop said. “This is horrible and tragic for everyone.”

Forbes has a 14-year-old son who is being taken care of by friends, Alsop said. She is on disability and taking insulin, he said. She has lived in the area for the past 10 years and is not a flight risk, he added.

“This is a complicated and serious matter that will take some time to be resolved,” Alsop said.

It makes sense for her to go home instead of remaining in jail while the case is resolved, he said.

Pastor Brian Rebert of the New Hope Baptist Church and his wife, Sandi, sat in the courtroom. Forbes had attended their Farmington church in the past.

After the appearance, Sandi Rebert said Forbes had been through a lot recently. She had some very serious health problems that almost took her life, Rebert said.

“Our hearts go out to her. Our hearts, certainly, go out to the victims’ family, her fiancé and friends,” she said.

Pastor Rebert said he stopped into the hospital Tuesday to pray with Cerqueira’s family.

“It was a tragic accident. She seems to be very remorseful and realizes something we may look at as a small choice for a moment ends up in drastic consequences,” the pastor said.

Forbes seems to be a loving and concerned mother to her son, he said.

“She’s not a malicious person, not from what we know of her,” Sandi Rebert said.