Fatal hit-and-run suspect told cops he thought he hit deer, report shows - Orlando Sentinel

He told investigators he thought he hit a deer, according to an arrest report released today.

Officers located a damaged work van about 12:30 p.m. in Edgewater that they think was involved in the crash, Markert said. The front end was smashed, a headlight was broken and the windshield was shattered and had a hole in it.

"Any rational, reasonable person should have realized that there had been a serious accident and stopped at that point in time, and that's not the case," Markert said.

On Tuesday about 11:15 p.m., a Volusia County man found two bodies as he rode a scooter along S.R. 44. The man's body was in the eastbound lanes just west of Interstate 95. The woman's body was nearby, police Sgt. Chris Kirk said.

Police said the victims — Savannah Jo Dejarnette, 26, and Zachary Tyler Kahle, 24, both of Oak Hill — had abandoned her older-model Buick on Interstate 95 and were walking when they were struck.

Kennedy was arrested and pleaded no contest to reckless driving in Volusia County when he was 15 years old, records show. He has been convicted several times since of driving without a valid license and driving with a suspended license.

He has received more than 40 traffic tickets in two decades in Volusia for offenses including careless driving and speeding.

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