Reno Court Accepts Deal For Model In Arch Crash

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A fashion model pleaded no contest Monday in Reno to careless driving and agreed to pay damages after crashing a rented motorhome into the city's landmark downtown arch.

Rosemary Vandenbroucke, 28, of Hong Kong agreed to pay $385 in fines and $985 for damage to the "Biggest Little City in the World" arch and a fire hydrant, said Dan Wong, criminal division chief for the city attorney's office.

Tammy Riggs, a lawyer for Vandenbroucke, didn't immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment on the plea deal.

Reno Municipal Court Judge Jay Dilworth accepted the plea with no other penalties, Wong said.

Nobody was injured in the crash, but authorities said the 40-foot motorhome was substantially damaged.

Vandenbroucke was originally charged with three misdemeanors - vehicular hit-and-run, failure to maintain insurance and making an improper right turn.

The Labor Day crash occurred a day after the model was arrested at the Burning Man counterculture festival north of Reno and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

A preliminary hearing on the drug case is set for Feb. 9 in Lovelock.

Vandenbroucke maintains her innocence, Riggs has said. She will not have to appear at the upcoming hearing. A conviction could result in up to four years of probation.

Authorities said the model was arrested with a small amount of ecstasy at the festival that attracts about 50,000 people a year to the Black Rock desert.