Teen Driver In Deadly Middleboro Hit & Run Free On $10,000 Bail
WAREHAM (CBS) - A teenager accused in a deadly hit and run last month in Middleboro is out on $10,000 bail after appearing in a Wareham courtroom on Thursday to answer charges.
Eric Megna, a student at UMass Dartmouth, was arrested Wednesday for the crash that killed 58-year-old Michael Dutra, who was riding his bicycle at the time.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic reports
Teen Driver In Deadly Middleboro Hit & Run Free On $10,000 Bail
Prosecutors say Megna fled to his family's New Hampshire vacation home following the crash. Days later, he reported to the New Hampshire State Police that he hit a deer on I-93, and sent a picture of a dead deer to his mother, which she later showed to investigators.
Police determined the photo was taken from the Internet. There also were no signs of fur or other deer remains on Megna's black Jeep Grand Cherokee. Investigators eventually matched parts from Megna's vehicle to debris recovered at the crash scene in Middleboro.
Further, court documents show that evidence included an email discussion between Megna's parents where his father allegedly noted, "the similarities of the accident and (h)is vehicle are profound."
The documents also allege that a Middleboro police officer overheard Megna's father on phone saying, "Cops are lazy... people get off all the time."
Several of Dutra's family members were in court on Thursday. The judge actually halted the hearing for a few minutes following an outburst by one of the victim's daughters, which came after a defense attorney mistakenly referred to the suspect by the victim's name.
After court, family members expressed relief over the arrest and disappointment with Megna's actions in court, noting they saw no apparent regret in Megna's face.
"It's definitely hard. We have a face. That face is sitting across the room," Shannon Dutra said to the media after the arraignment.
"It is a sense of relief that someone is going to be held accountable for taking my dad," Michelle Dutra added.
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