SEVEN WEST VIRGINIANS INJURED IN HIT-AND-RUN INCIDENT INVOLVING WYTHE COUNTY MAN- (7/22/2010)
State police say they found the black truck that a man drove into seven motorcyclists, injuring them. It happened Sunday night on Interstate 77 northbound near the Wythe and Bland County line. Police arrested 55-year-old George Sparkman of Max Meadows at a truck stop in Wytheville Sunday night. They say he hitch hiked there. Troopers found his truck about two hours ago in Bland County near the top of Little Walker Mountain. It had struck a large pole and tree. Sparkman is facing numerous charges like malicious wounding, hit-and-run and reckless driving. Police believe alcohol was a factor. All of the people injured are out of the hospital now. _____________________________________ State police need your help locating a suspected hit-and-run vehicle. On Sunday, seven West Virginians were injured when their motorcycles were struck during a hit-and-run incident on Interstate 77 near the Wythe and Bland county line. State police say a total of seven riders and passengers were injured after their motorcycles were struck. Six were transported by ambulance to Wythe County Community Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. A seventh rider was flown to Johnson City, Tenn. Medical Center for treatment. Authorities arrested and charged 55-year-old George E. Sparkman of Max Meadows. Sparkman is charged with three counts of malicious wounding, four counts of attempted malicious wounding, one count of hit-and-run and one count of reckless driving. State police are still searching for Sparkman's vehicle. It's a black 1999 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck with damage to its front and sides. Anyone with information about the vehicle or Sunday night's incident is asked to call Virginia State Police Wytheville Division at 276-228-3131. Here is the full news release: SEVEN WEST VIRGINIANS INJURED IN HIT-AND-RUN INCIDENT INVOLVING WYTHE COUNTY MAN State Police Still Searching for Suspect Vehicle WYTHE CO, Va. – Seven West Virginians were injured when their motorcycles were struck during a hit-and-run incident on Interstate 77 Sunday evening (July 18, 2010). A Max Meadows man now faces multiple charges after being located and apprehended later Sunday night in Wythe County. At 6:01 p.m. Sunday, Virginia State Police Trooper B.R. Edwards was called to the northbound lanes of I-77 just south of Exit 47 near the Wythe and Bland county line. Six motorcycles traveling together in the northbound lanes had been struck by a black 1999 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. The pickup truck then fled the scene. A total of seven riders and passengers were injured after their motorcycles were struck. Six of the seven were transported by ambulance to Wythe County Community Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. A seventh rider, Tillman N. Mooney, was flown to Johnson City, Tenn. Medical Center for treatment. With the assistance of the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office and Bland County Sheriff’s Office, state police immediately began searching for the suspect vehicle based on the description and license plate number provided by witnesses to the crashes. Shortly after 10:30 p.m., police were notified of a suspicious person at a truck stop at Exit 41 in Wythe County. Town of Wytheville Police responded to the call and identified the subject as the individual being sought by State Police in the hit-and-run on I-77. George E. Sparkman, 55, of the 300 block of Alleghany Road in Max Meadows, was taken into custody without incident. Trooper Edwards charged Sparkman with three counts of malicious wounding, four counts of attempted malicious wounding, one count of hit-and-run and one count of reckless driving. State Police are still searching for Sparkman’s vehicle. The black Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck will have damage to its front and sides. Anyone with information about the vehicle or Sunday night’s incident on I-77 is asked to please contact Virginia State Police Wytheville Division at (276) 228-3131 or email the Wythe Area Office at Area26@vsp.virginia.gov. The incident remains under investigation. |
