DDN – Lakeland police have arrested a man they believe is responsible for the death of a 67-year-old woman crossing South Florida Avenue in November.
Daniel Kovacs was detained around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday on felony counts of leaving the scene of a fatal crash and tampering with physical evidence. Lakeland police did not immediately give Kovacs’ age or hometown, according to a news statement issued Wednesday.
On November 22, officers responded to reports of a hit-and-run in the 700 block of South Florida Avenue. Robin Brown, 67, was killed while crossing the road at Palmetto Street by a southbound vehicle.
During the inquiry, officers learned that the car was a silver or gray Range Rover.
On November 25, an employee of The Lakeland Body Shop Collision Repair informed an officer that a vehicle had been dropped down for repairs that matched the description. According to LPD, the vehicle was a silver 2022 Range Rover registered to Kovacs.
Lakeland investigators investigated the car and discovered evidence of the crash. The vehicle had recently been washed, and officers attempted to repair the damage using tape, according to the release.
Detectives acquired video surveillance and other evidence indicating that Kovacs spent a couple of hours in a downtown Lakeland restaurant drinking alcoholic beverages with Miguel Rodriguez, 41, of Windemere, according to police.
The cameras show Kovacs leaving downtown with Rodriguez as his passenger in the Range Rover moments before the incident at 12:02 a.m. According to the announcement, video footage shows the Range Rover colliding with Brown and fleeing the scene without offering aid.
“This certainly is a heartbreaking case in which we are grateful for the cooperation of many Lakeland businesses who provided the evidence needed to ensure justice was served for Robin Brown,” Chief Sam Taylor stated in a press statement. ”
Our investigators have devoted many hours of their work to this case to ensure that as well. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Brown’s family as they mourn her loss.”
The matter is still active and under investigation.
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