AUBURN — A 33-year-old Mechanic Falls woman struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Thursday had been charged by police earlier that morning.

Police said Kassandra Lavoie was killed when a tractor-trailer struck her in the parking lot of Wal-Mart on Mount Auburn Avenue. She died at the scene, police said.

A short time prior, police had issued her a summons for theft — stemming from an incident in Lewiston the day before — and unlawful use or possession of inhalants.

While police investigated the death, they were seeking to reconstruct Lavoie’s movements in the minutes and days before she was struck. Just after midnight, police had gone to the Wal-Mart lot to investigate a report of a suspicious person. Officers spoke with Lavoie, who was issued the criminal summons, according to Deputy Police Chief Jason Moen.

After that encounter with police, Lavoie was free to go. She was last seen walking in the direction of Turner Street, police said.

An hour later, Hasan Williams, 40, of Tobyhanna, Pa., was driving a tractor-trailer through the Wal-Mart lot when it struck and killed Lavoie. Williams was not hurt and was interviewed by police.

The cause of the accident remained under investigation, Moen said. Local police were assisted by Maine State Police, who reconstructed the accident.

According to court records, Lavoie had lived in Mechanic Falls and Auburn, where she had a criminal history dating back to 2004 when she was charged with driving without a license. In 2010, Lavoie was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated, for which she later paid a fine.

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