The Lapeer County Sheriff Department continues their investigation into a fatal accident where a man and his two dogs were killed while going for a walk.
Authorities say a 28-year-old Columbiaville woman is lodged at the Lapeer County Jail following the death of the 59-year-old Metamora man who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run pedestrian traffic fatality in Lapeer Township.
According to the Lapeer County Sheriff Department, just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Lapeer County 911 dispatched police and EMS to a report of an injured man discovered in a ditch along Hunters Creek Road in Lapeer Township.
The caller indicated there were two dogs who appeared deceased, with the man. The man was transported to McLaren Lapeer Region where he died as a result of his injuries shortly after 8 a.m. Both dogs (a poodle and a pit bull) were deceased at the scene.
Deputies say based on vehicle debris at the scene and other indicators, the deaths were the result of a hit-and-run traffic collision. A joint investigation by law enforcement indicated the man was walking his dogs east along the south shoulder of the roadway and was struck by an eastbound vehicle.
Investigators say evidence and debris at the scene leads them to believe the suspect vehicle was a dark gray Chevrolet Malibu. The information was broadcast to area law enforcement and within minutes, a vehicle in Oakland County, fitting the description, was driving erratically on south Rochester Road, near the Village of Leonard. Deputies with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office stopped the vehicle in Leonard.
The Columbiaville woman, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was thought to be a person of interest and was eventually taken into custody. Deputies say the roadway was closed for several hours while the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Traffic Crash Reconstruction Division gathered evidence.
Lapeer County Animal Control assisted with the deceased dogs. The case will be presented to the Lapeer County Prosecutor’s Office to be reviewed for possible criminal charges against the driver of the Malibu.
Anyone with additional information on the accident is asked to contact police.
