An Oakland man charged with hitting and killing a bicyclist with his car last Friday in San Francisco pleaded not guilty to the charges today.
According to police and prosecutors, 21-year-old Nils Linke, who was visiting the U.S. from Germany, was biking south on Masonic Avenue near Turk Street at about 10:40 p.m. on Aug. 13 when an older-model Mercedes-Benz struck him from behind while going in the same direction.
The driver of the Mercedes, 36-year-old Joshua Calder, allegedly drove away from the scene afterward, prosecutors said. He was arrested about two blocks away after witnesses gave police a description of the car.
Calder pleaded not guilty this morning in San Francisco Superior Court to charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, drunken driving and hit-and-run. A judge ordered him to undergo alcohol counseling.
Calder is out of custody after posting bail, which had been set at $500,000.
He is scheduled to return to court Oct. 1 for a status hearing.
