The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is reporting the details of search warrants that led deputies to arrest a Cary man in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident. The suspect has only admitted he owns the car that officers say was involved in the crash.
The accident occurred in Raleigh on June 17, 2013, just before 1:00 a.m. as two women crossed Hillsborough Street near North Carolina State University. The car, identified by witnesses as a VW Passat, had a green light as it entered the intersection where it struck the two pedestrians. One of the women died at the scene; the other sustained severe but non-life-threatening injuries.
The car was damaged but did not stop. Investigators said they found pieces of the vehicle’s front end, including a piece of the grill, and broken glass at the scene.
News of the accident traveled fast, and police soon received an anonymous tip that led them to the damaged Passat that belongs to the suspect. Within hours, officers had obtained and executed search warrants, presumably for the suspect’s home and car. A search warrant also allowed them to obtain a blood sample from the suspect; investigators said the driver of the vehicle may have been speeding and may have been driving while intoxicated.
The suspect is charged with two counts of hit-and-run causing serious injury or death. Records show that the 33-year-old was convicted of DWI in 2010. Police noted as well that the suspect’s driver’s license had been revoked. He was able to make bail after his arrest, but police picked him up again a couple of days later, adding assault with a deadly weapon to the charges against him. He remains in the Wake County jail.
The only thing the suspect has said is that the car is his. He has refused to answer questions about the damage to his car. Neither has he admitted to driving that night, and it seems that officers turned up no evidence when they executed the search warrants that he was behind the wheel.
The details of the search warrants came to light recently when officials filed them with the Wake County Magistrate.
Source: News & Observer, “Suspected hit and run driver refuses to answer police questions about crash,” Thomasi McDonald, July 11, 2013