Driver ran out of gas on NC highway. DWI suspect killed him and fled, trooper says.
A driver who ran out of gas, left his pickup truck and walked in the travel lanes of a North Carolina road was hit and killed by a DWI suspect, a State Highway Patrol trooper said Friday.
Tony Allen Maltba, 56, of Creston in Ashe County, was pronounced dead on N.C. 127 in Catawba County, Master Trooper Jeffrey Swagger said in a news release.
The driver accused of hitting Maltba drove away, but was apprehended hours after investigators found his car behind a home several miles from the wreck, according to the release.
The suspect, 31-year-old Robert Mitchell Lester of Hickory, was charged with driving while impaired, according to the State Highway Patrol.
Troopers are still investigating the collision and will consult with the Catawba County District Attorney’s Office on filing more charges against Lester, Swagger said.
Driving a 2008 Ford F150, Maltba ran out of gas in the center turn lane near U.S. 321 on Thursday night, according to the trooper. He was hit and killed at about 10:30 p.m. near Zion Church Road, Swagger said.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 8:21 AM.