OKAWVILLE, Ill. — A Belleville man has been charged after a hit-and-run crash involving a 1-year-old boy in Okawville, Illinois.
Joseph Shelton, 37, was charged with one count of each leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injury and leaving the scene/failure to report death or injury within a half hour.
According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, officers responded shortly after 9 p.m. on June 13 to a hit-and-run crash involving a child in Okawville, Illinois.
At the scene, Kenzie Marie told police she was walking on north Hanover Street when a man traveling east on Belleville made a U-Turn onto Hanover, striking her baby boy as he sat in his wagon.
Kenzie said the driver then made another U-turn and sped off. Paramedics rushed her only child to a nearby hospital.
Investigators said the toddler suffered a head injury, several broken bones and bruised lungs. An ARCH helicopter team flew the little boy to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis in critical condition.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office said charges are pending against a second individual involved in the case. They did not provide any information on the suspect.
"Sheriff Schultze and Chief Deputy Joe Berry commend and appreciate the hard work and dedication of Det./ Sgt. Cindy Meyer for her diligence to solve this case and bring justice to the young child involved. Many thanks to the businesses of Okawville and the public’s assistance in bringing this case to a close," the sheriff's office said in a press release.