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Teen pleads in elderly hit and run

By Kathryn Kennedy
The Daily Reflector

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A teen and illegal immigrant will go to prison immediately and soon may face deportation for a wreck that caused the death of an elderly man.

Pablo De La Cruz, 19, 112 Rawl Road, pleaded guilty to felony hit and run and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle in Pitt County Superior Court on Monday. Judge Jerry R. Tillett sentenced him to six to eight months in jail as part of a plea agreement. A Mexican citizen and unlicensed driver, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has been contacted but no one present at the hearing was sure what action the agency will take.

De La Cruz was driving a friend's Chevrolet Camaro on Charles Boulevard near Elm Street on the afternoon of March 22 when he struck 74-year-old Harold Jason Mills. Mills was riding a bicycle and went through the car's windshield on impact, said prosecutor Tonya Oliver. Cruz drove off without stopping and was later apprehended based on witness descriptions of the car and license plate. Alcohol or drugs did not play a factor in the wreck.

The victim was attended to at the scene and at Pitt County Memorial Hospital but the collision ultimately caused his death, Oliver said.

"He made a mistake like so many other drivers have done," defense attorney Tim Burch said. "He dropped something and looked away... Unfortunately it resulted in a terrible loss for the Mills family."

The thin teen listened to the proceedings with the help of a translator. Hands cuffed together and head hung low, he avoided eye contact with the family as Burch spoke on his behalf.

"He went to the person he thought could help him," Burch continued. "He just simply didn't know what to do. He got scared."
Mills had six family members in attendance. A niece, Kim Stokes, was asked to speak for the family and recounted what it was like to see a loved one's broken body.

"I did go back to see him [at the hospital] and it was awful, his condition," she said. "Blood everywhere. His nose, his mouth, his ears."

She said the family hoped for an active sentence, as she feared mere probation would be overlooked if he were deported.

"Who doesn't stop when they realize they hit a human ... to see if they can help?" Stokes asked in a wavering voice. "He left him there to die and he did. He died."


Kathryn Kennedy can be reached at kkennedy@coxnc.com or 329-9566.

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