A hit-and-run driver was caught Tuesday shortly after he fled the scene of an accident on Sparta Highway that wasn’t even his fault.
According to Highway Patrolman Kyle Herren, the hit-and-run driver, Devin Kirby, 25, of Sparta told him he ran from the scene on foot because he did not have a driver license and because he was on probation in White County.
“He said he didn’t want to go back to jail,” said Herren, noting he found the suspect walking along the highway several minutes after the crash.
The wreck happened Tuesday morning at the intersection of Sparta Highway and Mud Creek Road near Campaign. Herren said the other driver, Floyd Shockley, 64, of Spencer pulled across the main highway from Mud Creek Road in his 1986 Chevy Celebrity and entered the path of Kirby’s 2006 Ford Fusion. Kirby slammed on the brakes but was unable to avoid hitting the side and back of the other vehicle.
Kirby abandoned his wrecked car and fled on foot, leaving his passenger to talk to authorities. His passenger faces no charges and suffered bumps and bruises in the wreck. Shockley was injured and taken to Saint Thomas River Park Hospital by the Warren County Emergency Ambulance Service.
Kirby is charged with driving on a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, and not having proof of insurance. Shockley is charged with failure to yield and not having insurance.
For video footage, see the video section of this website.