A 58-year-old woman was attempting to cross a Marietta road Tuesday night with her two young grandchildren when she was struck and killed by a driver, police said.
The driver, 63-year-old Howard Arden of Dunwoody, kept driving after the wreck, Marietta police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy said. When Arden arrived home and noticed some damage to his car, he called police, according to a news release.
In front of a Shell gas station along Delk Road, Debra Jones of Marietta stepped into the street while outside of a crosswalk shortly before 9 p.m. with the two elementary-school-aged children, McPhilamy said. Walking slightly ahead of the children, Jones was struck by a 2013 Kia Sorento, he added. The children were not injured.
Jones was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where she died.
About 30 minutes after the wreck, Arden called Marietta police and notified them that “he may have struck something or someone” after he noticed the front of his car was damaged, McPhilamy said. Arden was taken into custody, charged with felony hit-and-run and booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. McPhilamy said additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.
The fatal hit-and-run is the second in Marietta in as many days.
On Monday night, a 57-year-old man was attempting to cross Cobb Parkway when he was struck and killed by a man driving a Toyota Camry, McPhilamy said. The pedestrian, whose name was not released, died at the scene.
The driver, Kevin Alston, failed to help the pedestrian and left the scene on foot before officers arrived, according to police. A Marietta police dog tracked him onto the Marietta campus of Kennesaw State University and officers located him with help from campus police. Alston was charged with felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor charges including failure to report a crash, false report of a crime and a seatbelt violation.
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