A Utah man is facing felony charges after allegedly running over a 9-year-old boy on his bicycle without realizing it.
Months after killing 9-year-old Dalton Gibbs with his truck, 80-year-old George Parker Hunter has been charged with second-degree felony manslaughter and third-degree felony leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
According to court records obtained by local ABC outlet KUTV, Hunter was driving his white pickup truck on the afternoon of April 25 while Dalton was riding his bike home from school.
Police said Hunter drove into an intersection and allegedly struck Dalton, dragging him 50 feet with his truck while witnesses tried and failed to get him to stop.
According to court documents, Dalton was eventually freed from under Hunter’s truck, but his bike remained stuck.
Witnesses told investigators that they tried to wave Hunter down while he was still driving, attempting to communicate to the elderly man that Dalton was underneath his vehicle. Instead of stopping, Hunter allegedly accelerated and drove away.
When Hunter was stopped by police at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds, he told them he saw Dalton’s bicycle under another driver’s car.
That driver allegedly got out of their car and attempted to flag Hunter down; Hunter told police that he believed the other driver was waving him away.
While still driving, Hunter reported to police that he heard a screeching sound and saw a bicycle in his rearview mirror.
At that point, he got out of his truck and moved the bike from the street to the sidewalk. After a few minutes, he allegedly drove away.
According to court documents, an officer on the scene overheard Hunter tell someone, “I knew I hit a bicycle, but I didn’t think there was a kid on it.”
According to Pleasant Grove Police Captain Britt Smith, Hunter was “somebody’s father, somebody’s grandparent, who has diminished faculties and is operating a vehicle on the roadway.” Smith also stated that Hunter had a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.
Dalton died from his injuries in the hospital on the same day he was struck. Tyler and Kim Gibbs, Hunter’s parents, told local NBC affiliate KSL that they did not support criminal charges against him.
Kim Gibbs told the outlet that “we know he didn’t intend to do this.” The couple informed KSL that they had met with Hunter and forgiven him.
In a statement provided to KSL following the announcement of Hunter’s criminal charges, the Gibbs stated:
This tragedy has changed our lives, his included. We know that he is deeply remorseful. We don’t desire that he or his family should endure additional punishment beyond what they’ve already experienced. We do not believe that incarceration or similar severe measures will provide the good that is needed. We believe there are other options that can be explored to ensure public safety and maintain the integrity of the driver’s family.
To be clear, we are not the ones pressing charges. When the County Attorney’s office shared with us that they would be charging the driver, we shared these same sentiments with them. We desire everyone to be made whole.
Hunter faces one count of second-degree felony manslaughter and one count of third-degree felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. He was not on the Utah County inmate roster on Tuesday.
