BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said authorities arrested a woman accused of fleeing the scene of a traffic collision that left a man dead in Hernando County.
FHP said 45-year-old Kerrie Noell Walden was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Wiscon Road and California Street shortly after 1 p.m. on Jan. 5.
When the light turned green, Walden turned west on Wiscon Road and collided with 46-year-old Jacob Mull, who the report said was lying in the westbound lane.
Officials said Mull was dragged about 37 feet after the initial impact.
According to the report, Walden did not report the crash and left the scene.
FHP said her vehicle was later located at a McDonald’s on Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville with a missing bumper and blood on its undercarriage.
Walden told investigators she knew she had hit something and wasn't sure if it was a deer, per the report.
FHP said DNA testing matched blood from her vehicle to the victim, with a probability greater than 700 billion times more likely than an unrelated individual.
Walden was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death, per FHP.
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