Pedestrian dies; now the charge is murder

The woman who was struck and dragged by a pickup in a Bryant parking lot died Friday morning, just hours before the accused driver of the vehicle appeared in court.

Bryant Police Department spokesman Sgt. Todd Crowson said that 20-year-old Heather Baker, who was airlifted after first-responders found her unresponsive outside the Alcoa Road Target store, was pronounced dead from her injuries at 10:39 a.m. at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock.

Baker, who lived in Benton, was walking in a crosswalk about 1:15 p.m. when a U-Haul rental pickup struck her at a high speed, throwing her body 30 feet and then dragging it another 30 feet without stopping, according to police.

The driver, identified by police as Marcus Dorsey, was arrested shortly after and initially charged with first-degree battery.

Initially scheduled for a bond hearing in Benton District Court on Friday for a first-degree battery charge, Dorsey ended up pleading innocent to first-degree murder after word of Baker's death reached investigators.

Baker's fatal injuries were preceded by a series of reports of a reckless driver striking several cars as he made his way up the westbound lanes of Interstate 30 about 1 p.m. Crowson said Dorsey took the Alcoa Road exit and quickly drove into the 7300 block of Alcoa Road, where Target is one of many stores.

A loss prevention officer at Target was standing near his car outside the store when the vehicle came speeding through the lot. Crowson said the employee saw Dorsey strike Baker, and the employee immediately called police and gave them details of Dorsey's vehicle as he followed it into Greens Apartments just a few blocks from the location.

Dorsey was arrested there by state police. Crowson said Dorsey, whose address is listed at 9615 Brittany Lane in Little Rock, may have been staying with someone at the Bryant complex.

When asked what might explain Dorsey's driving, Crowson said that the suspect alluded to drug and alcohol use, but that investigators won't know what to make of those claims until they get toxicology reports back from the state Crime Laboratory. Crowson said he didn't know how long those results might take.

In addition to first-degree murder, Dorsey was charged with four counts of leaving the scene of an accident.

He was also charged with driving on a suspended driver's license.

Dorsey remained in the Saline County jail early Friday night where he was being held in lieu of a $1 million bond.

Metro on 08/23/2014

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