Tabitha Paige, 18, has been arrested and charged with felony hit-and-run by the Douglasville Police Department in connection to a hit-and-run death that occurred Saturday, Sept. 14, according to Police Chief Chris Womack.
Tips from citizens led to the arrest of Paige, at approximately 3 a.m. today, who is now cooperating with authorities. She is currently in the Douglas County jail and will have her first bond appearance on Monday.
Gary Latimer, 41, of Douglasville and Villa Rica, had bonded out of Douglasville Police custody was walking away from the safety complex when a vehicle hit him. Latimer was admitted to Grady Memorial Hospital, and placed in the intensive care unit until Douglas County Coroner Randy Daniel pronounced him dead at 1:03 p.m. Tuesday.
The police were asking residents to be on the lookout for a Maroon 1997-1998 Buick Regal or Century, with a broken passenger side mirror and passenger side or front end damage.
The Douglasville Police Department is in possession of the vehicle, which was found hidden in Heflin, AL., Womack said. "We have the car, which led to the physical evidence we needed to arrest her."Womack said that Paige's arrest is part of an on-going investigation that may lead to additional accessory arrests. "More than one person who is involved has been cooperating," Womack said.
"The family of the victim is doing as good as they can be under the circumstances, considering they lost a loved one," he said. "This may bring them a bit of closure. This is a tragic event but because of the assistance of citizens and the cooperation between the Sheriff's Office and the Police Department, we were able to do the job we needed to do."
The Douglasville Police Department will be paying out the $5,000 reward that was offered Womack said, "but I don't think that was a factor in the person coming forward. I just think they wanted to do the right thing."
Related Patch stories:
$5,000 Reward Offered for Hit-and-Run Vehicle Information
Hit-and-Run Vehicle Sought by Police
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