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Woman killed in motorcycle crash
Hit and run suspect charged
PANAMA CITY BEACH — A Georgia woman was killed in a hit and run crash and one man has been arrested and charged in the case, Panama City Beach officials said Sunday morning.
Mary Whitfield, 28, of Pooler, Ga., was on the back of a 1996 Harley Davidson being driven by 28-year-old Jonathan Whitfield of Dothan, Ala., Sunday morning. the couple was stopped at a red light at U.S. 98 and State 79 at about 2:40 a.m. when they were rear-ended by a Ford F150 being driven by 59-year-old Dwight Stickney, officials wrote in a news release.
Stickney drove away from the crash but was followed by a bystander who stayed with him until police got on scene and arrested him, officials said.
Mary Whitfield was taken to a local hospital and later died from her injuries, officials wrote. Jonathan Whitefield had minor injuries. Stickney, a Youngstown resident, has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death. The incident is still under investigation, more charges are expected and alcohol is believed to have played a role in the crash, officials wrote.
Stickney’s blood was taken for analysis and if it comes back positive for alcohol he could be charged with DUI manslaughter, officials said.
“Alcohol and vehicles do not mix,” Robert Harding, the chief of the Panama City Beach Police Department said Sunday afternoon. The mixture usually has “tragic results, usually for an innocent victim.”
Harding urged motorists to use caution at all times.
“Obviously motorcycles don’t afford you as much protection as in a car,” he said.
an earlier version of this story is below
A Georgia woman was killed in a hit and run crash and one man has been arrested and charged in the case, Panama City Beach officials said Sunday morning.
Mary Whitfield, of Pooler, Ga., was on the back of a 1996 Harley Davidson being driven by Jonathan Whitfield Sunday morning. the couple was stopped at a red light at U.S. 98 and State 79 at about 2:40 a.m. when they were rear-ended by a Ford F150 being driven by Dwight Stickney, officials wrote in a news release.
Mary Whitfield was taken to a local hospital and later died from her injuries, officials wrote. Jonathan Whitefield had minor injuries. Stickney has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death. The incident is still under investigation, more charges are expected and alcohol is believed to have played a role in the crash, officials wrote.
