A Crestview family was searching for answers after a 71-year-old man crossing Highway 90 in his wheelchair was struck and killed by a car that sped away, and troopers said the suspected driver may have fled into south Alabama.
Wilber Ray Heath was hit Tuesday night near Hare Street as he tried to cross the highway. The car kept going eastbound without stopping, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. An arrest warrant was later issued for William Michael Boles, 48, who faces charges of leaving the scene of a deadly crash along with several traffic offenses.
Troopers said they had reason to believe Boles may have left Crestview and could be in the Covington County and Andalusia, Alabama area — putting law enforcement on both sides of the state line on notice.
Heath’s daughter, Becky Glover, described driving up on the crash scene without knowing her father was the victim, then returning the next day to collect what was left at the roadside — his hat, a piece of his shoe and the armrest from his wheelchair. She said the loss would stay with the family for a very long time.