A surveillance camera at a popular area restaurant has played a critical role in the arrest of a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the wife of a 34-year-old woman.
Christian Parker, 25, of Summerfield, is facing charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash following his arrest on Monday. He is being held without bond at the Marion County Jail.
Parker had been at the wheel of a black Lincoln town car shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Belleview, according to an arrest report from the Belleview Police Department. His car ran a red light and struck a pedestrian, Ariel Marie Hartford, when she was in the crosswalk, crossing the road. After she was struck, Hartford was pronounced dead at the scene.
A couple in another vehicle had witnessed Parker’s reckless driving and had already called the Marion County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center. They were still tailing Parker’s Lincoln when they witnessed the fatal collision and immediately checked on Hartford while watching the Lincoln speed away. One of them provided a description of the driver to police. An officer ran the Lincoln’s license plate and found the driver’s license photo of the vehicle’s registered owner, and found it matched the description of the driver provided by one of the witnesses.
Officers collected debris from the scene, including a piece of the Lincoln’s grill. They also went to the Pasta Faire restaurant on U.S. Hwy. 441 and obtained video surveillance which showed the fatal collision.
Police found a camper behind a mobile home at 6140 SE 144th Place in Summerfield. Parker and a woman were in the camper, and initially attempted to ignore law enforcement’s arrival on the premises. The woman claimed that Parker told her someone had stolen his car.
Parker has a long history of arrests in Marion County, including charges of burglary, battery and drug possession.
