By VDC staff

A 26-year-old Williamstown woman was killed Saturday night after her motorcycle struck a guardrail on Interstate 89 in Berlin, according to Vermont State Police.

Troopers responded at about 8:52 p.m. May 30 to a report of a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 89 south near Exit 6. Investigators said Journiann Leclair was riding a 2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster southbound when she struck a guardrail. The motorcycle sustained minor front-end damage.

Leclair, who was not wearing a seat belt or other restraint, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the cause of the crash remains under investigation and are asking anyone with information about the motorcycle’s operation before the collision to contact the Berlin Barracks or submit anonymous tips through the Vermont State Police website.

Barre Town Ambulance, the Berlin Fire Department and the Montpelier Police Department assisted at the scene.

In a separate incident the same evening, Vermont State Police charged a Coventry woman with driving under the influence, negligent operation and two counts of cruelty to a child following a single-vehicle crash in Barton.

Police responded to the intersection of Main Street and Washington Lane, where they found a heavily damaged vehicle and identified the driver as 23-year-old Kendra Crowe of Coventry. Troopers said they observed signs of impairment during their investigation and arrested Crowe.

Two young children, ages 1 and 3, were passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Crowe was processed at the Derby Barracks and later released with a citation to appear in court on the charges. State police did not provide information on injuries resulting from the crash.