GARY, W.Va. – Gary Police Chief S. P. “Pat” McKinney is praising his community after a quick arrest yesterday involving a hit and run accident.
“The community came forward with descriptions of the truck and where it was last seen along with who the owner might be,” McKinney reported. “Their interest and support made the arrest easy.”
McKinney gave a detailed account of events following being called out to a two vehicle accident near Rosebud Lane on State route 103 near the Thorpe section of Gary.
“I was on my way and Deputies Martin and Horn radioed they were in the ares. Descriptions of the truck were relayed from citizens and fire department members. The Deputies went to a home about two miles from the scene and were told the man they were looking for was ‘gone with the truck ‘ When I got to the scene the lady in the vehicle that was hit showed me a picture of the truck that showed the registration plate. The plate came back to the house the deputies were at, so we all went back.”
McKinney’s story indicates when they arrived at the home of Joey Bennett, he and Deputy Martin went to the front door and Deputy Horn went to the back door.
“Well Deputy Horn gets back there and sees tire tracks going past the house on out the street and follows them. When we didn’t get an answer at the door, we went around to find Deputy Horn wasn’t in the back of the house, so we got to hunting him. Deputy Horn radioed he had found the truck out the road and we were going to him when he called out he was in foot pursuit.”
McKinney and Martin went to Horn. Martin followed Horn into the woods while McKinney detained four “friends and family members” that were with the truck.
The deputies caught Bennett and he was arrested for Fleeing Without a Vehicle and Obstructing An Officer for which he posted a thousand dollar bail to Magistrate S. Cox. Bennet also posted a two thousand dollar bond to Cox for Failure to Report An Accident, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, No Insurance and Reckless Driving which were the charges filed by McKinney regarding the accident.
“This is the second Hit and Run in six months and in both instances we located the vehicle within an hour of the accident. This is not because of miracle police work by me, but because the residents and overall community of Gary support what we are doing,” said McKinney. “From truck drivers to clerks to retirees, when something happens, they step up and help. It is a blessing to receive so much support from the community you work in.”