Barry Galinger, right
Janet Kirk Hinds was not at her arraignment on Friday morning in the traffic death of Chattanooga Police Officer Nicholas Galinger.
However, the father of the fallen officer was.
Barry Galinger told reporters afterward, "Every day is hard. We go to bed thinking about it and wake up thinking about it. We're trying to cope."
Ms. Hinds, who is facing 10 counts including vehicular homicide by intoxication, had her appearance waived earlier. She was represented by her attorney, Ben McGowan, before Criminal Court Judge Don Poole.
A deadline for production of discovery was set for July 11.
Mr. Galinger said, "Janet Hinds made some very bad decisions. She fled the scene and left our son lying in the road."
He said he is "confident that she will be convicted." He said, "The District Attorney's Office and the Chattanooga Police Department have been outstanding."
Mr. Galinger said his wife, Gretchen, "has been having nightmares, and I have had some too."
He said, "The people of Chattanooga have been wonderful to us. I don't know what we would have done without them."
The City Council on Tuesday night named a section of Hamill Road for Officer Galinger. He was inspecting an overflowing manhole when he was struck and killed on the night of Feb. 23.
Ms. Hinds, who was the postmaster of Soddy Daisy at the time, was on the TBI's Most Wanted List before turning herself in.