The bike owned by Alfredo Sabanal is a total wreck after a speeding SUV owned by an American national hit it. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police in Alcantara town in southwestern Cebu confirmed arresting a foreigner accused in a hit-and-run that claimed the life of a tri-sikad driver.
The suspect was identified as Kerry Lee Hemphill, an American national residing in Moalboal, the neighboring municipality of Alcantara.
Hemphill will be facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries, said Police Captain Annaliza Comaling, chief of the Alcantara Police Station.
The foreigner was involved in two hit-and-run incidents while speeding down the national highway in Alcantara on Tuesday evening, May 23, one of which turned out to be fatal, said Comaling.
Initial investigations showed that the first instance happened in Brgy. Polo in which Hemphill’s sports utility vehicle (SUV) hit a 70-year-old biker, identified as Alfredo Sabanal.
The suspect, however, fled the scene and left Sabanal on the road, said Comaling. Sabanal is still confined in a public hospital to recuperate from the severe injuries he sustained, the police official added.
A few minutes after hitting Sabanal, Hemphill hit another motorist.
He just reached Brgy. Poblacion, situated around one kilometer north of Brgy. Polo, when he hit another motorist, a tri-sikad driver identified as Jerry Timtim. Unfortunately, the victim died.
Similar to the previous incident, the foreigner left the tri-sikad driver on the road. Timtim, 53, was rushed to a hospital but physicians there declared him dead on arrival.
Investigators at Alcantara Police Station managed to trace down Hemphill’s identity, which eventually led to his arrest, with the help of witnesses and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
Hemphill was arrested in Ronda, the town that borders Alcantara in the north.
The American national reportedly told police that he left the two victims out of fright.
Alcantara is a fifth-class municipality located approximately 95 kilometers southwest of Cebu City. /rcg
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