Mississippi man charged in hit-and-run that killed toddler

Published 3:36 pm Monday, May 3, 2021

The Mississippi Highway Patrol has charged a man after a hit-and-run collision that killed a 2-year-old child who had run out into a rural road.

The wreck happened Thursday night on Highway 492 near Union. Andrew Graham Winstead, 25, was arrested near Philadelphia a short time later and charged with leaving the scene of a wreck with injuries, the Neshoba Democrat reported.

Jail records show Winstead was released from jail Sunday on a $75,000 bond. A jail employee told The Associated Press on Monday that the jail docket does not show whether Winstead is represented by an attorney.

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Preliminary reports indicate Winstead was traveling west on Mississippi 492 in a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado. Mississippi Highway Patrol Sgt. Jameka D. Moore said the truck hit the toddler, who died.

Moore said Winstead returned to the scene of the crash, but after realizing that he had struck a child he left the scene.

Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark said his emergency dispatch records show Union police took the initial call. Clark said that the sheriff’s department received a call with a description of Winstead’s vehicle shortly after 9 p.m., and one of his deputies caught up with Winstead moments later on Mississippi 19 and arrested him.