Woman accused of running down elderly pedestrian and fleeing last week arrested
REDDING, Calif., — Authorities yesterday announced the arrest of a woman they allege fled the scene of a major-injury collision involving an elderly pedestrian in Redding last week.
The victim sustained serious head trauma and other major injuries and is continuing to recover from the hit and run, which happened Thursday morning, Oct. 21, in the area of Pine Street and Shasta Street, according to officials.
LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:
Child found dead inside Yreka home destroyed by blaze
Late night Anderson traffic stop yields meth, two arrested
Driver fatally ejected, passenger seriously injured in Anderson crash
Autistic, non-verbal toddler located safe after disappearing from Round Mountain home
Federal fugitives who hit Redding officer with SUV nabbed after wild pursuit, multiple crashes
City of Redding police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene around 9 a.m. after receiving reports of a hit and run vehicle collision involving a pedestrian, Redding Police Corporal Michael DiMatteo explained in a press release yesterday.
911 callers told SHASCOM911 emergency dispatchers that the victim was seriously injured and still down in the roadway and that a woman driving a silver, full-size Toyota Tundra pickup truck with front-end damage was seen fleeing the area.
Redding resident Leona McCovey was arrested a week after she allegedly fled the scene after running down an elderly, 75-year-old pedestrian on Oct. 21. The victim suffered major head trauma and other serious injuries. Redding PD photo
When officials arrived they confirmed finding a 75-year-old Redding man in the roadway with major head trauma and other life-threatening injuries. He was rushed to Mercy Medical Center in Redding for further treatment. His current condition was not immediately available.
Officials quickly confirmed that the vehicle involved in the collision had fled prior to their arrival, leaving the critically injured elderly victim at the scene.
“The investigation found that the pedestrian was crossing Shasta Street inside a marked crosswalk, and was struck by the pickup truck which failed to yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk,” DiMatteo described.
As the investigation progressed, officers located and obtained video surveillance footage from a nearby business that ultimately led officers to identifying Leona Marie McCovey, 33, of Redding, as the driver who fled the scene after striking the elderly pedestrian with her pickup truck.
On Wednesday, Oct. 27, officers located McCovey at her residence and arrested her without incident.
McCovey was transported to the Shasta County Jail in Redding where she was booked on suspicion of hit and run resulting in great bodily injury. Online jail records indicate she remains in custody in lieu of $10,000 bail or bond.
Anyone who may have witnessed this collision or who has further information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact the Redding PD Traffic Unit at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R069066 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.