Advertisement

Hernando man accused of crashing truck, leaving 2 hurt in road

 
Charles Daniel Aaron, 44, faces fleeing and eluding, and other charges in the crash.
Charles Daniel Aaron, 44, faces fleeing and eluding, and other charges in the crash.
Published Aug. 15, 2014

BROOKSVILLE — Authorities arrested a Spring Hill man after they say he crashed a pickup, injuring two people whom witnesses described as a pregnant woman and a child, then left the scene.

Charles Daniel Aaron, 44, faces charges of fleeing and eluding, driving with a suspended license, grand theft, hit and run, driving under the influence and cruelty toward a child. He was being held Thursday at the Hernando County Detention Center in lieu of $25,000 bail.

The Sheriff's Office said it was notified of a hit-and-run crash near Powell and Raines roads, south of Brooksville, shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. Dispatchers were told a pickup had flipped several times. Callers reported the victims — a child and a pregnant woman who were passengers in the pickup — were injured.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers identified the woman as Michelle Alyssa Webb, 20, and the child as Brittanie Nikole Prater, 13, both of Brooksville. Both were hospitalized with injuries that troopers said were not incapacitating.

Troopers said that after the crash, Webb and the girl exited the truck. Aaron then drove west on Powell Road.

A Sheriff's Office helicopter and several deputies found Aaron speeding west on Powell. Deputies put out "stop sticks" to try and slow the vehicle. Aaron eventually pulled over at Northcliffe Boulevard and Century Drive in Spring Hill. He refused to get out, deputies said.

That's when Deputy Brandon Cox released a police dog, Judge Topper, to remove Aaron from the vehicle. The dog bit Aaron's left forearm.

Aaron was treated at a local hospital before being taken to jail, according to the Sheriff's Office.

A records check by the Sheriff's Office showed that Aaron had an active arrest warrant from the Florida Parole Commission for violating the terms of his conditional release. Records also show that his driver's license was revoked in 1996 for DUI, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Troopers interviewed Aaron at the hospital, where he showed signs of impairment and "dozed off" while talking to investigators, reports state.

The vehicle he was driving was reported stolen out of Ocala.

Contact Danny Valentine at dvalentine@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1432. Follow @HernandoTimes.