PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — A Calhoun County man was charged in the hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old Parkersburg High School student.
Darren Parsons, 20, of Calhoun County, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death. He may face more charges, and three others who were riding with him in the vehicle also may be charged.
State police said the teen was struck while riding his bicycle Tuesday afternoon along State Route 47 near the intersection with U.S.Route 50. The vehicle kept going.
Troopers, who did not immediately release the victim’s name, said his mother filed a missing persons report with state police after the boy left to ride his bike to a nearby convenience store and didn’t return. Troopers soon received a call about a body on the highway and confirmed the body was the missing teenager.
“We ended up with a few witnesses who actually witnessed the impact,” said State Police Sergeant William Marshall.
Parsons had been living in Parkersburg, though his license still listed his home address in Calhoun County, police said. That’s where he was was found around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
“He was located driving the same vehicle we suspect was used in this crime near Grantsville in Calhoun County,” said Marshall.
The vehicle and bicycle are at the State Police Crime Lab in Charleston. The victim’s body is at the state Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.
“We have information from witnesses that would indicate speed is a factor and that drugs and/or alcohol may also be a factor,” Marshall said. “I believe this was a single-vehicle incident with four passengers in it and it would lead us to believe this was a careless, reckless act.”