A 23 year old Anniston man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the “hit and run” incident that fatally injured a 47 year old Florida man on Sunday.
Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge told the Anniston Star – that Rodrick Jamar Montgomery, was booked into the Oxford City Jail at around 6:00pm Tuesday on charges of leaving the scene of an accident and texting while driving – in addition to the manslaughter charge.
Montgomery reportedly admitted to investigators that he’d been texting while driving at the time the accident occurred between 8:00 and 9:00pm Sunday; Montgomery’s vehicle veered off of the roadway, and struck Panama City resident, Ricky Lee Suddarth, who had been walking along the side of the road; he was killed upon impact.
Authorities later found Montgomery’s SUV less than a mile away from the incident, at Somerset Place Apartments; the vehicle – a 2004 Ford Explorer – had a dented hood and broken headlight, and matched the description provided by witnesses.
Montgomery has since been released from jail on a $30,000 bond.
Police say it’ll be up to a grand jury to decide whether or not he’ll be charged with homicide.
(Anniston Star/www.annistonstar.com)