The man charged with vehicular manslaughter following the death of a Chico State student in an alleged DUI hit-and-run will face new charges in March in the form of money laundering.

Prior to the new charges, Riley Dean Hoover plead not guilty to a total of five felonies, according a the Butte County Superior Court. Charges included driving while intoxicated causing bodily injury, leaving the scene of an accident, transportation of marijuana with the intent to sell and involvement in the manufacture of a controlled substance.

An investigation following his arrest indicated possible involvement in an illegal marijuana business, said District Attorney Michael Ramsey.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Department investigations unit executed a search warrant for Hoover’s banking records, Ramsey said. The investigation found three separate transactions that raised suspicions that the defendant was utilizing a bank to launder money for the trafficking of marijuana.

The transactions indicated the defendant could have had out-of-state contacts make cash deposits into a bank account in return for packages of marijuana sent by mail, he said.

Police responded to a hit-and-run collision on the 300 block of Nord Avenue Sept. 22 where Kristina Chesterman, a nursing major, was injured while riding her bike home from Chico State, as previously reported by The Orion. Hoover was arrested after a separate collision occurred on the 700 block of Nord Avenue on the suspicion of driving under the influence and fleeing a crime scene.

Chesterman died Sept. 24 at Enloe Medical Center.

After Hoover’s vehicle was impounded, a package containing 47.8 grams of hashish was discovered, according to a court document prepared by Chico Police. The vehicle also contained three different marijuana prescriptions, two of which belonged to other people.

When Hoover’s hearing proceeds on March 7, the prosecution will request that the combined charges proceed as one case, Ramsey said. The defendant remains in custody.

Nicholas Carr can be reached at [email protected] or @nikecarr on Twitter