Driver pleads not guilty to hit and run
A not guilty plea was entered Monday on behalf of a Cloverdale teenager accused of striking two pedestrians with his car last week and fleeing the scene.
Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Rogers appeared in court Monday where he is charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury, a class D felony, and aggravated battery, a class B felony. The prosecutor filed four separate charges against Rogers -- two for each of the victims.
The B felony carries a sentence range of six to 20 years in prison and the D felony: up to three years, Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter said.
According to Cloverdale Police Officer Charlie Hallam's report of the incident, the two victims -- 17-year-old Brett Elwood and 19-year-old Wade Davis, both from Cloverdale -- told him they believed Rogers intentionally struck them in the street in the Stardust Hills subdivision last Wednesday.
After the incident, Elwood was Lifelined to Methodist Hospital where he underwent surgery for broken bones in his leg. Davis was treated for less serious injuries and was released from the hospital the next day.
Hallam said the teens told him they thought a fight over a cell phone the previous day may have precipitated the incident. A witness told police he saw the Rogers vehicle strike the two young men and leave the scene.
The judge set Rogers' bond at $30,000. He is set to return to court for a pre-trial conference on Aug. 21, at 8:30 a.m