Staff report
Gainesville police arrested a 73-year-old Lake Butler woman after she allegedly struck a person crossing Gainesville’s West University Avenue and left the scene after the crash.
Betty Jean Alexander-Bacon was arrested for hit-and run just after midnight on Thursday, Sept. 12. The victim was transported to UF Health Shands with a severe head wound and other injuries.
According to an arrest report, the incident occurred near the University of Florida, and police located the defendant 20 minutes later after officers saw that her windshield was damaged.
Alexander-Bacon told police she knew she had hit something but did not know she had hit a person. She also said she did not notice the damage to her windshield until she was further down the road.
Police wrote that the defendant stated she knew she needed to return to the crash scene, and at the time officers stopped her vehicle, she had turned around and was headed south on Northwest 13th Street in the direction of the crash.
“The Def. had several opportunities to pull over closer to the incident but continued to at least NW 16th Ave., approximately 1.5 miles north of the incident, before turning back southbound,” wrote police.
