A beloved Rhode Island musician was killed while walking his dog after he was hit by a car driven by a repeat offender with a criminal record spanning more than 100 arrests. The deadly crash occurred in Hopkinton around 7:20 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Hopkinton Police Department.
Roderick MacLeod was walking his dog along the side of the road when Shannon Godbout drifted out of her lane and crashed into several objects — including two telephone poles — before hitting 70-year-old musician. MacLeod — a Grammy-nominated bassist and a member of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame — was immediately taken to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Tragic and Unexpected Death
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Police said MacLeod’s dog survived the crash and managed to run back home. At the scene, officers found Godbout, 41, with several illegal drugs, along with packaging materials typically used for distribution. She was arrested on charges of driving to endanger resulting in death, as well as possession of Schedule I/II narcotics with intent to distribute — her third or more offense.
Godbout has a lengthy criminal history with more than 100 prior arrests, according to the department. She has also previously had 82 court warrants issued against her over the years and racked up 40 traffic violations.
Police said she was set to appear before a justice of the peace and will be referred to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office as a criminal violator.
Big Loss for Music Fraternity
MacLeod was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2012 as part of the band Roomful of Blues. He had also earned a Grammy nomination with the group back in the 1980s, according to the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.
In recent years, the beloved musician had been working as a teaching associate at Brown University, where he also directed the school’s Old-Time String Band.
One of his longtime friends, fellow musician Doug James, told WJAR that what he’ll remember most about MacLeod is his always “upbeat and cheerful” spirit.
“He was a good addition to anything he did. Few people play that well on everything, and he did,” James said.
“He really worked hard at all the stuff he did, but it never looked like that, it always just came very easily — it appeared to come easily.”
“He was always great to be around and he was always great to play with. A hundred percent of the people that know him would say exactly the same thing.”
