A Theodore man spent the weekend in the Mobile County Metro Jail after investigators tied his truck to a hit-and-run crash earlier in the month that left a 16-year-old with serious injuries.
Alabama State Troopers said they received an anonymous tip pointing them to a 1998 Dodge Dakota parked at a home on Huber Road. The truck matched the description of a vehicle that had fled the scene of a collision with a pedestrian on Garden Grove Road on Dec. 7. The Huber Road address sits less than five miles from where the teenager was struck, according to troopers.
Investigators said evidence gathered at the crash scene matched the truck once it was located. Troopers determined the vehicle belonged to a local auto sales dealership and was being driven at the time of the crash by one of the dealership’s employees, 32-year-old Anthony Dewayne Weaver.
Weaver was taken into custody and charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving injury. He remained held without bond, not solely because of the new charge but because the arrest also triggered a violation of bond conditions tied to two earlier felony cases, according to troopers.
Court and jail records show Weaver had prior legal trouble, including a July 2013 arrest on charges of first-degree robbery and second-degree assault, along with earlier charges involving theft, reckless endangerment and multiple traffic violations. The new hit-and-run charge added to an already lengthy record heading into his latest stint behind bars.
Troopers have not released details about what caused the initial collision on Garden Grove Road or the extent of the teenager’s injuries beyond describing them as serious. The identity of the injured teenager has not been made public.
The case highlights the challenges investigators face when a driver flees the scene of a crash, often leaving witnesses and physical evidence as the only leads. In this instance, troopers credited a tip from the public with helping them track down the vehicle and, ultimately, the driver, just over a week after the crash occurred.
The investigation remains open, and troopers have not indicated whether additional charges are expected as the case moves through the Mobile County court system.