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A 32-year-old Ewa Beach man turned himself in to police yesterday morning in connection with an accident that killed bicyclist Theron Keoki Nicodemus, 21. Suspect in fatal hit-
run turns himself inStar-Bulletin staff
Police arrested the man for negligent homicide and failure to render aid in the March 7 collision. After questioning the suspect, police released him pending further investigation.
Nicodemus was riding on the shoulder of Fort Weaver Road when a van struck him from behind and fled the scene about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Elmar Ranon, owner of El's Autobody and Paint, called police after he noticed that a van that had come in for body work matched the description of a van that police were looking for.
Ranon said there was severe grille and hood damage on the 1996 blue Ford van. It was the same day he saw newspaper and television reports of the accident.
Assessing the damage "on a scale of one to 10, it's about an 8," Ranon said. "If it is the van, that's a lot of damage for a human body to do," he said.
But Ranon, who has been in the auto body business for 16 years, said the air bag was deployed, so he thought it "could not be the vehicle that hit a human body."
He said air bags usually deploy on sudden impact when vehicles come to a halt or major impact with another vehicle.
A records check showed the suspect had one prior arrest, for drunken driving on May 11, 1999.
He was found guilty on that charge Sept. 14, 1999, and sentenced the same day to a $150 fine and 90-day suspension of his driver's license.
To assist the victim's family with medical and funeral expenses, the Theron Keoki Nicodemus Memorial Fund has been established at the Bank of Hawaii.