Crime & Public Safety
Panama City pedestrian died in February hit-and-run; Niceville woman arrested in September
A fatal hit-and-run crash occurred on the afternoon of Feb. 14 on Bluewater Boulevard in Panama City when a vehicle struck a pedestrian riding/walking in the pedestrian/bicycle lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol investigation. The victim was a 74-year-old woman who was hit by the right front of the vehicle and later died. Witnesses reported seeing the car driven erratically before the collision.
Investigators say the driver veered off the roadway, struck the pedestrian with the right front of the car and continued driving. Deputies later located the vehicle in a shopping plaza along East Highway 20; damage to the car included a missing right front headlight and headlight housing and a damaged windshield, as recorded in the FHP investigation.
A Niceville woman, identified in charging documents, was arrested after a warrant was issued Sept. 10 in Okaloosa County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. She reportedly provided a voluntary blood sample at the scene and the samples returned negative for drugs and alcohol. The driver allegedly told deputies she didn’t know she was in a collision; that statement is attributed to the investigation.
Current case status: the driver was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, booked into the Okaloosa County Jail and released on bond. These details—allegations, vehicle condition, witness reports, sample results and charges—are from the FHP and allied law-enforcement accounts; outcomes beyond the charges and release on bond were not documented in the supplied report.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.