Recently, Richmond Police Department was dispatched to a two vehicle collision and hit and run. The car that remained on scene was able to get the license plate of the vehicle which fled.
Police ran the license plate and eventually traced the car back to Austin Westmoreland.
EMS arrived on scene, and the victim told police the description of the suspect, who they said jogged away from them towards EKU’s campus. The victim told police that the only person they saw was the male suspect, who was wearing all black with a beard.
EKU Police told RPD that the same car was found on campus, resting against a fire hydrant in the grass near Keene Hall, but that the male suspect could not be located.
EKU officers told RPD that they saw a male matching the description on campus that told them he had left Paddy Wagon bar, which had been closed that day. He had told police that he noticed his car was gone, so began to walk.
The keys to the vehicle that ran from the scene were allegedly located in Westmoreland’s pocket, and police reported he smelled of alcohol.
Westmoreland denied speaking to officers, or performing field sobriety tests. Surveillance footage of the scene was recovered, with a vehicle with the same license plate hitting a fire hydrant after driving off the road was observed.
Then, a suspect matching Westmoreland was also seen on footage leaving the scene of this accident as well. He was arrested and charged with aggravated DUI over .08, second offense, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Westmoreland was lodged in the detention center and has since been released.
