(BLOOMINGTON) – A 40-year-old woman charged in the fatal hit-and-run of a 41-year-old bicyclist told detectives she didn’t contact police because she thought she had hit a deer.
Detectives arrested 40-year-old Alicia Hacker on a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Hacker was released Tuesday from the Monroe County Jail after posting a $5,500 bond.
The May 13 hit-and-run accident claimed the life of 42-year-old Michael Brooks on North Russell Road at State Road 45 East.
The sheriff’s office requested residents to be on the lookout for a vehicle with recent damage. The Police received information from several sources that a 2003 Pontiac Montana van owned by Hacker had new damage.
Deputies located her van in a parking lot where she works.
According to a press release, detectives compared the damage to Brooks’ bicycle to the damage on Hacker’s van. The right edge of the front bumper of the van showed a perfect impression of a screw found on the bike. There was also damage found on the right front fender.
Hacker told detectives she believed she had hit a deer as she was driving home on State Road 45 East on May 13. She told detectives she knew of a fatal crash near where she was driving on the same night “but never put the facts together that she might have hit a person.” She said that was why she never talked to law enforcement.
“The Sheriff’s Office is grateful for the response of a caring community, who responded to the request for assistance. We are confident the family of Michael Brooks is relieved to know there may be some resolution to his unfortunate passing,” Sheriff Brad Swan said in the release.
