A man accused in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a teenage girl in Arlington is expected to appear in court Thursday morning.
AM, 54, is accused of hitting and killing 13-year-old GW on Sept. 30. He is expected to be officially charged and enter his plea in Duval County court on Thursday.
W was walking home from school along the sidewalk next to Arlington Road when, according to police, M was driving a truck that jumped a curb and struck the teenage girl. Police said he then left her lying on the sidewalk.
A passerby found her and called for help, but by the time police arrived, the girl had already died.
Shardae W, GW’s mother, told News4JAX her daughter was full of faith, loved sports, and dancing.
“She had a lot of energy, everybody was attracted to her, like as soon as you saw her, her eyes were everything. She was beautiful, she was smart,” SW said. “She was not scared; she was fearless.”
Surveillance video captured the crash, and police said evidence quickly pointed to M. Authorities said he was already out on bond for felony charges and wearing an ankle monitor.
After tracking him down, they found him sleeping in his truck the day after the crash.
Hours before his arrest, M appeared in court on an aggravated assault charge linked to a summer confrontation where he threatened a man and tried to hit him with his truck.
In court, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, but the judge ordered the adjudication withheld. M received 24 months of probation and was ordered to complete anger management classes within 30 days.
Since W’s death, the community has shown overwhelming support, and her mother said that the outpouring has helped with healing.
“You would never though a lot of people or how many people, how one child could touch and how many hearts. She was a diamond, she still is, because she is going to be one of the brightest stars in the sky,” the mother said.
M is charged with leaving the scene of a crash without rendering aid involving a death, the sheriff’s office said.
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Source: news4jax
