Mustang driver plowed into a dad in marked crosswalk, told people she "thought she had hit a box or speed bump': Police

A Florida pistillate plowed into a stateless 60-year-old father with her Ford Mustang arsenic helium was successful a marked crosswalk — and told radical afterward that she "thought she had deed a container oregon velocity bump," according to police.

Dawn Dunkle, 51, was driving westbound successful the 1400 artifact of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard successful Clearwater erstwhile she mowed down Elbert Gilbert connected Feb. 4, according to a Clearwater Police Department press release.

After striking Gilbert with her car, Dunkle allegedly fled the scene and ditched her 2024 reddish Mustang successful the area. Police accidental the conveyance was located "a fewer days later" and yet linked to Dunkle, who was taken into custody and charged connected Friday.

"After hitting Gilbert, Dunkle did not telephone 911 oregon halt to render aid. She fled the scene, but parts of her car were near behind," according to the constabulary property release. "Dunkle told others she thought she had deed a container oregon velocity bump."

A GoFundMe launched by Gilbert's lad describes him arsenic a begetter with a "kind, gentle heart" who was "loved by everyone helium met." The section nonprofit enactment Hydrate the Homeless made a station astir Gilbert's decease saying, "We are each conscionable devastated for this loss. He held a peculiar spot successful each our hearts."

Founder Carla Morgan told section CBS affiliate WTSP, "We're going to miss him a lot. He ever had a smile, sometimes a amusive joke. I ever looked guardant to seeing him."

Describing what Dunkle allegedly did, Morgan said, "I deliberation it would marque each of america consciousness amended that the idiosyncratic who did this is punished. They're going to person to unrecorded with this for the remainder of their life. They're not going to beryllium capable to tally distant from it."

Dunkle was booked into the Pinellas County Jail connected charges of leaving the country of a clang involving decease and possession of a controlled substance aft she was allegedly caught with alprazolam, commonly known by the marque sanction Xanax, tribunal records show. She was being held connected a $150,000 bond.