Stefen Joshua Lockett of Pembroke Pines, Florida was arrested on Thursday for leaving the scene of a fatal accident on March 20, 2015. Lockett, 27, allegedly struck and killed Gilbert Jerry Rivera while he was crossing a road in Pembroke Pines.
Lockett was due to make his first appearance in court yesterday. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. It is unclear if Lockett has sought legal representation.
According to the arrest report, the fatal accident occurred on South Hiatus Road in Pembroke Pines in March last year. Lockett was reportedly driving a white Nissan Versa to a friend’s house in a gated community in Miramar when he hit Rivera, 49, as he was crossing the road.
The guard at the gated community reportedly noticed the damage on the front of Lockett’s vehicle. She allowed him into the complex, but she refused to take his driver’s license because it was “covered in blood.” She informed police about the incident and later told investigators that she asked Lockett if he had been in an accident and he allegedly said yes.
Police officers who responded to the guard’s call interviewed Lockett and he purportedly told them that he had a few drinks at a South Beach strip club earlier that evening. Someone gave him a ride home from the club, but he purportedly later drove to his friend’s house in Miramar. He allegedly said he heard a “loud boom” at some point while he was driving, but he thought he had only struck a tree or an animal.
After assessing the damage to his vehicle at his friend’s house, Lockett and his friend reportedly went back to the scene of the accident to find out what happened, but he never told police that he was the driver they were allegedly looking for. A test later revealed that Lockett’s blood alcohol level was 0.10, which is over the 0.8 legal limit for driving in the state of Florida.