Leon Morton of Miami, Florida was arrested on October 15 for his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run crash that injured an unidentified pedestrian.
Morton, 72, is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injuries. He bail was set at $100,000 during bond court on Tuesday. The press did not name an attorney for him.
According to the arrest report, the hit-and-run crash occurred at around 7:11 p.m. on October 15 in the 4700 block of NW 32nd Avenue. Surveillance footage from a nearby business reportedly shows a driver hit a female pedestrian as she was crossing the avenue near 47th Street.
The driver took off and left the woman in the middle of the road. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took the woman to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s trauma center; her condition is unknown.
It is unclear how investigators identified the driver as Morton, but a detective arrested him four hours later at a gas station. The detective said he found a bottle of alcohol in Morton’s pocket during a pat down. The older man reportedly said he couldn’t go back to jail.
“The defendant did make a statement that back in the ‘80s he was part of the Cocaine Cowboy era and he has served 20 years in federal prison,” the detective said, according to WPLG Local10.
Another hit-and-run crash was reported in Hialeah last week. Maydelis Pulido was arrested on October 11 for a hit-and-run crash that caused the death of an elderly man identified as Orlando Quiala of Miami Beach.
Pulido, 23, is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death. She was ordered held on $10,000 bond. It is unclear if she has acquired the services of an attorney.
According to the arrest report, the hit-and-run crash occurred on East 4th Avenue near East 17th Street. Pulido was allegedly driving a stolen vehicle when she hit Quiala as he was crossing the street. She sped away and left Quiala on the street. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died.
“After working diligently day and night, following every lead possible, detectives were able to catch up with Pulido, taking her into custody,” Hialeah police said in a news release, according to WPLG Local10. “Once again we commend the tenacity and devotion our detectives have to our community.”
An anonymous tip that was substantiated by a secret informant led investigators to Pulido and the stolen vehicle. The 23-year-old doesn’t have any prior convictions, but records show she has received four tickets in the past and paid $358 in fines for a petit theft charge in 2016.
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Source: 10.16.18 72-year-old man ordered held on $100,000 bond after hit-and-run crash.pdf