Associated Press - October 26, 2009 4:34 PM ET

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A convicted felon faces federal charges that he was on morphine when he allegedly killed a Dutch bicyclist on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Authorities say 51-year-old Ester Hagemen of Leiden, Netherlands, was hit April 22 while riding her bike in Chickasaw County.

A federal indictment dated Oct. 8 shows Wendell G. Blount is charged with manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.

Blount's attorney did not immediately respond to a message Monday.

Blount faces federal charges because the Trace is part of the National Parks system. It runs from Tennessee to south Mississippi along a historic series of paths once used by American Indians, explorers and traders.

He was released from prison last year on drug charges.

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