The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in last week's hit-and-run crash that left a teen runner seriously injured.
- Arrest made in hit-and-run that seriously injured teen runner
- Mario Lopez-Morales, 23, arrested and charged
- Adam Schumacher, 17, injured in crash
Authorities said Adam Schumacher, 17, was running at 8:20 p.m. along Crest Lane on April 3 when he was struck by a dark colored pick-up truck.
After hitting the teen, the truck continued into the front yard of a home on Crest Lane and hit a van in the driveway, authorities said. The driver then pulled away and fled the scene.
Authorities said Schumacher, the younger brother of a Polk County deputy, suffered skull and facial fractures, and sprained ankle, and he was transported to Osceola Regional Medical Center, where he remains in intensive care.
“It’s not something any parent should have to deal with,” said Schumacher’s mom Debbie Schumacher about the hit and run. She has been spending most of her time at the hospital with Adam. “It’s been a tough week watching this recovery. It’s been a tough week emotionally.”
On Saturday, deputies arrested 23-year-old Mario Lopez-Morales of Haines City.
Lopez-Morales has been charged with leaving the scene of crash with serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and tampering with evidence.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said members of the public called in tips to Heartland Crime Stoppers that led them to a home on Slocum Road, where detectives said Lopez-Morales had hidden his Ford F-150 pickup that had been involved in the crash.
During a search of the property, deputies found a damaged F150 hidden from view.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Lopez-Morales had left Polk County to work on a construction job in Las Vegas, but that he agreed to return to Florida and turn himself in.
Judd also said Lopez-Morales confessed he was distraught over a conflict with his wife while driving and fumbling with his phone when the accident took place. Lopez-Morales would likely not have faced serious charges, according to the sheriff, if he had not left the scene of the crash.
“So all he would have faced is a traffic citation if he would have stayed here," Judd explained. "But the reality is he was distracted. He was out of control and he almost killed Adam.”
Deputies met Lopez-Morales at the Orlando International Airport on Saturday. He remains in the Polk County Jail.
"Every time we work a hit-and-run crash, we tell the community that we need their help," said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd. "This is often the only way we solve crashes where suspects flee the scene. Thank you to the anonymous tipsters who led us to this suspect. We are grateful that Adam will make a full recovery, and that this suspect will be held accountable for hitting and leaving Adam for dead."
Debbie Schumacher, meanwhile, said she was pleased to hear there had been an arrest.
"I think it's one step on to focusing on recovery," Debbie said.
Adam is expected to make a full recovery and, according to his mom, hopes to attend his prom and get back to jogging.