Crews respond to the crash that killed 41-year-old bicyclist Jimilee "Jason" Thomas of Bend Friday afternoon on Highway 99. The crash investigation closed Highway 99 well into the evening.

The suspect in the Oct. 11 fatal hit-and-run on South Pacific Highway in Medford was photographed allegedly inhaling chemical propellants from a canned air duster in the minutes before her van struck a 41-year-old cyclist riding in the southbound bike lane, authorities said.

Witnesses reported to investigators with the multi-agency Jackson County Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction team, or STAR, that they saw suspect Cassie Jane Cavagnaro “huffing” an aerosol can of propellant dust cleaner prior to the crash while Cavagnaro was pulled over to the side of the road in her white Ford van near the Shell station in the 1000 block of Riverside Avenue, according to an affidavit filed by Medford police Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Cavagnaro made her initial court appearance Thursday on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants, failure to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person, hit-and-run property damage, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving.

Judge Kelly Ravassipour appointed Cavagnaro a public defender and set bail at $1 million during the hearing.

If convicted, manslaughter in the first degree carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years under Oregon’s Measure 11 law.

The District Attorney’s office also added a new misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminal mischief, according to a filing in the case. The charge accuses Cavagnaro of also striking a blue-and-white Les Schwab Toyota pickup and damaging property belonging to the business during the crash that killed bicyclist Jimilee “Jason” Thomas of Bend.

A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign benefitting Thomas’ wife, Nikki Thomas, had raised $7,620 in less than three days as of Thursday afternoon.

Thomas had been following all laws while riding his electric bike southbound on South Pacific Highway leading up to the crash near the Garfield Street intersection, Medford police stated in an earlier news release.

According to the affidavit, Medford police officers, Medford Fire Department firefighter-paramedics and Mercy Flights paramedics attempted life-saving measures at the scene of the crash, but Thomas was pronounced dead at 3:52 p.m. last Friday.

Cavagnaro, the registered owner of the white full-size Ford van, fled the scene after striking Thomas and the Toyota Tacoma pickup, according to the police affidavit. Witnesses reportedly followed Cavagnaro to a nearby parking lot and helped direct police officers to the location.

Two Medford police officers made contact with Cavagnaro as they witnessed her walking away from the van after exiting from the driver’s seat.

Police allege they “observed signs of impairment” during their interaction with Cavagnaro. One of the officers “observed Cavagnaro’s eyes were glassy, her facial expression was flat and her face was flushed,” according to the affidavit. Another officer “observed Cavagnaro’s gait was unsteady and her movements lethargic.”

Another officer took Cavagnaro to Providence Medford Medical Center, where police were granted a search warrant to draw blood samples from Cavagnaro.

At the parking lot where Cavagnaro was arrested, police say they observed a can of “Dust-Off” or similar refrigerant based compressed air dust can “in plain view near the bottom right corner of the Ford’s driver seat.”

Police say they observed another aerosol can in a “bucket style container” behind the front passenger seat in plain view.

Cavagnaro’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24.