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Body shop tip helps nab fatal hit-and-run suspect

Headlines | News Archive | July 2008 |  Body shop tip helps nab fatal hit-and-run suspect

Body shop tip helps nab fatal hit-and-run suspect Someone at a Lexington, Ky., body shop is being heralded as a hero for making the correct moral decision — he called the police when a customer’s pickup truck bore telltale evidence of being involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian. Lexington police have not released the collision repairer’s name or place of business; perhaps it was a confidential tip. The decision to notify the authorities upon discovering traces of body tissue provided the key break in the case. In the early hours of April 13, 18-year-old Connie Blount was struck and killed by a truck while crossing a downtown street. The driver sped off, remaining on the lam for several days until the alleged perpetrator’s damaged vehicle was brought into the unnamed local body shop. A student majoring in equine science at the University of Kentucky, Blount was a champion show-rider — Lexington is in the heart of the Bluegrass State’s fabled horse country — whose sparkling personality was much beloved among her friends, classmates and extended family. Ironically, her father Jack owns Alpha Bay, a firm that recently won a technology innovation award from R.L. Polk & Co. for its line of electronic-commerce and supply chain computer systems utilized within the aftermarket industry. Following his daughter’s death and the horrific reality of the hit-and-run, Jack Blount has launched a crusade to make leaving the scene of an accident a felony in all 50 states. When Connie died, this charge was merely a misdemeanor in Kentucky. A bill upping the penalty to a felony had been languishing in the legislature. Amid a flurry of media attention brought on by the tragedy, “Connie’s Law” was quickly passed and signed into law by the governor. Currently Utah and Montana are the only other states with misdemeanor hit-and-run designations. Blount and a wide network of supporters are pushing to change that through petitions, a letter-writing campaign and extensive lobbying. A resident of Park City, Utah, Blount has been a prominent business owner for years and he is determined to see this through. Blount is particularly distressed that the suspect in his daughter’s death was most likely drunk. By fleeing and remaining at-large, the alleged perpetrator escaped being tested for alcohol and thus will not be on the dock for manslaughter. He faces a misdemeanor charge for leaving the scene but just one felony rap — tampering with evidence for attempting to fix his truck. Nonetheless, Blount and the family are grateful that the unknown collision repairer came forward with the tip that broke the case and led to the suspect’s arrest. Otherwise, “the chances of him being caught were one in a million,” he tells ABRN. “It takes a lead coming from another source” such as a local body shop. Lexington police did not respond to ABRN’s interview requests. If willing, the person at the shop is invited to contact us. We will protect your identity if you wish to remain anonymous. Connie Blount’s high-profile death provoked massive media coverage in Kentucky along with a series of news accounts in her home state of Utah. Much of the information is sketchy because the Lexington police have made few public disclosures. Local reports say the suspect considered the people at the repair shop to be his friends, yet he was still turned in to be held accountable. It may have been a tough decision. Some repairers may find it difficult to rat out a friend — or even a regular customer — to the police. A perceived fear of retaliation over reporting circumstances that don’t look quite right could also pose a dilemma over coming forward. Yet Blount encourages repairers to step up and do just that when someone comes in with suspicious-looking damage, a story that doesn’t add up or similarly odd behavior. For example, a motorist who claims to have hit a deer but there’s no fur and the damage is inconsistent with what you’ve previously seen with these types of wrecks. Maybe human-looking hair and body tissue is present. Perhaps there’s a big rush on the repair and the hush-hush transaction is to be cash-only. However, a desire to be discrete also could apply to a spouse or elderly parent concerned about family repercussions over yet another driving mishap. “Body shops can be very valuable,” says Blount, who was briefed by the police but given limited information. “This body shop was very valuable in our case.” Media accounts said the suspect actually told the repair specialist that he had “done something bad.” The repairer’s response was definitely the appropriate one, Blount said. “The man took his truck to a body shop; the mechanic looked at it, saw the blood and called the police,” says Blount. As the suspect’s case wends its way through the courts, Blount is continuing his quest to spare other families some of the agony his has endured. Forty-eight states have “seen the light that a drunk driver running over somebody and leaving the scene of an accident should be a felony,” he says. “Why should drunkards be encouraged to leave the scene instead of staying and calling for help just because they would be punished?” Montana and Utah are being lobbied hard to make fleeing a felony. “I’ve had very strong support out of Utah at this point,” Blount says. Several legislators have offered to sponsor Connie’s Law when the legislature re-convenes in January. “They’re confident that it will pass.” Similar efforts are continuing in Montana.

Headlines | News Archive | July 2008 |  Body shop tip helps nab fatal hit-and-run suspect

 

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