The Arkansas State Police arrested a 36-year-old Booneville man Friday in the Tuesday night hit-and-run that killed a Booneville woman.
A criminal complaint was filed Friday in Logan County Circuit Court against Jason Lynn Rhodes of 1160 S. Elm St. charging him with failure to stop after an accident with injury or death, a felony, and with negligent homicide, a misdemeanor.
Joy Duvall, 50, was struck by a vehicle about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday as she walked south along the northbound shoulder of Arkansas 23 about a half-mile south of Arkansas 10. The vehicle that hit her was heading north and left the scene without stopping, according to state police.
Duvall was declared dead at the scene.
An arrest warrant affidavit against Rhodes that was filed with the complaint said he told state police special agent Cpl. Sam Bass on Wednesday he left his home about 9 p.m. Tuesday in his 2009 GMC Acadia to help his girlfriend's sister.
While on the way, according to the affidavit, he hit something in the area where Duvall was killed. He told Bass he heard a sound but could not see that he hit anything, even checking his rear-view mirror as he drove.
He did not stop and continued to his destination, the affidavit states. Rhodes said he took a different route going home, so he never saw the accident scene.
The affidavit states Rhodes examined his vehicle and found it had a cracked right headlight lens cover and body damage on the right side.
Rhodes was developed as a suspect, according to the affidavit, when Logan County sheriff's office Chief Deputy David Spicer received an email about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday from Chris Adair, an employee of the Jam Mart in Booneville. Adair stated that she had overheard some store patrons talking about Duvall's death the night before and that Rhodes was the driver who hit her. The email also states that Rhodes was planning to have the car repaired that day.
NW News on 06/21/2014