Charges Expected For 2 Arrested In Aitkin Co. Hit & Run
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota State Patrol says charges could come soon in the hit and run death of a 10-year-old girl in Aitkin County.
Caylin Donovan was walking near Lake Mille Lacs around 8 p.m. on June 10 when someone struck her and drove off. Police arrested Steven Meier and Deborah Chandler of Hastings, after someone called in a tip.
There's so much about the little girl that her mom is missing -- Ginnie Donovan posted a video on her Facebook page about her daughter's giggle.
Many followed the story that started on a June evening. Caylin was walking on the road, soon after Tony Stock drove by.
"A guy was standing out by the road and he started waving at us, so I slowed down like he hit a deer," Stock said. "We got closer and we seen it was a person, so I stopped and I grabbed my medical bag and I ran out there."
Stock, a former first responder, tried CPR for eight minutes, and a nurse also stopped to help. The one who did not stop: the driver who struck Caylin.
For weeks, the State Patrol asked for leads. They got one that led them to a Hastings home, and the people who live there were arrested.
Officers arrested Debbie Chandler -- her driving record shows two speeding convictions. On Stephen Meier's record -- a DUI conviction, several speeding convictions and a DUI arrest. The two are now in jail in Aitkin County.
Still, it's something a grieving family may never understand.
"It's horrible," Stock said. "I feel horrible for the family and how it all went down, my condolences to them, it's a bad deal."
Neighbors say officers took two several vehicles from the Hastings home. State Patrol says charges could come in the next few days.
You may remember an 85 year old woman, Margaret Ann Johnson was also killed in Aitkin County in a hit and run, troopers still looking for tips in that case. Witnesses can call the State Patrol at 218-316-3026 or the Aitkin County Sheriff at 218-927-7435.
