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ELKINS – A Randolph County man is facing a felony charge after allegedly hitting a pedestrian with his vehicle and fleeing the scene, leaving the alleged victim with severe injuries.
Howard Wood Reid Gates, 35, of Elkins, is charged with one count of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, a felony. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $35,000 cash-only bond set by Randolph County Magistrate Benjamin Shepler.
According to the criminal complaint, filed by Patrolman J. Wolfe with the Elkins Police Department, on Monday, the Randolph County 911 Center advised of a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian in the area of West Main Street in Elkins.
Wolfe and additional officers responded to the scene, the complaint states. Upon arrival, officers observed the alleged victim lying under a chain link fence and a PVC fence. The alleged victim stated he had been run over.
Officers were later advised by EMS that the alleged hit-and-run victim had severe injuries and he was ultimately life-flighted to a hospital in Morgantown, the complaint states.
After officers cut the fence to free the release victim, they were then dispatched to the area of Pleasant Avenue in reference to a vehicle that had struck a utility pole. Officers were told a black male subject fled the scene on foot.
Upon arrival to Pleasant Avenue, officers ran the vehicle’s license plate through Randolph County 911, the complaint states. The plate came back to a female subject. Officers reportedly observed the front of the vehicle appeared to have had “an imprint of the victim’s head and a large amount of hair within the glass.” The vehicle was then towed.
As the vehicle was being towed, officers were flagged down by two witnesses who stated they knew who the vehicle belonged to, the complaint states. The witnesses said they were concerned, as there was a minor child associated with the owners of the vehicle. The witnesses allegedly confirmed the vehicle belonged to the female subject, as well as Howard. The witnesses then lead officers to the residence on Orchard Street where Howard and the female subject lived.
Officers also obtained a statement from a witness of the utility pole crash, who stated that he had seen a male subject flee from the driver’s seat of the vehicle through the back parking lot of a local doctor’s office, the complaint states. Officers later determined the male subject fled in the direction of Orchard Street.
When officers arrived at the residence on Orchard Street, Howard was exiting the home while carrying a small child and a diaper bag, the complaint states. Howard was detained and read his Miranda Rights. Wolfe writes that Howard refused to answer questions.
Officers asked the female subject about the keys to the towed vehicle, to which she stated there was only one copy and they were in a nightstand. She allowed officers to follow her into the residence while she retrieved the keys, which she located in her front pants pocket. The female subject was also advised of her Miranda Rights and she agreed to speak with officers about the incident, according to the complaint. She allegedly told police that she was in possession of the keys because Howard had given them to her after he returned to the residence.