HENRICO COUNTY, Va. – The Henrico teenwho was behind the wheel whena SUV struck a Newport News man mowing his lawn has been charged with felony homicide, according to police.
The driver has been identified by sources and her father as 17-year-old Kalaya Casey.
"I know my daughter has done wrong, and for that, I am truly sorry,” Calvin Casey Jr. said.
The teen was driving when police said she struck 43-year-old Arnold Coates, who was mowing his lawn in the 900 block of Red Oak Circle, on Friday afternoon.
The driver has been identified by sources and her father as 17 year old Kalaya Casey.
Casey took the wheel of the white Ford Expedition after police served a warrant to the driver, Shawn Collier, 34, of Richmond during a traffic stop, investigators said.
While Collier was being taken into custody, Casey got into the driver’s seat and drove away.
Police said they did not even know she was inside the vehicle and did not pursue the fleeing teen once she drove off.
Casey was listed as a runaway in Henrico County and also marked as wanted for a robbery at the Coventry Garden Apartment Complex on Newbridge Circle.
Coventry Garden Apartment Complex on Newbridge Circle.
William Gordon, who has lived in this community for more than 30 years, claimed neighbors knew what was going on and that the teen and others were "luring people here to rob them.”
Casey is one of two women police suspect lured a man from Surry County by using the dating site plentyoffish.com, according to police sources.
Sources said that when that man showed up, in April, the ladies asked him to come to the back of building 216, where he was robbed by three men, according to police sources.
Gordon called the incident "real shocking, kind of scary."
After the robbery, Gordon noticed he didn't see Casey around anymore
Police sources said Newport News police got a tip she was staying with her father.
Then, according to the same sources, on Friday afternoon police followed the white SUV that pulled away from her father’s house.
"She made a mistake, now she has to learn from it,” her dad said.
Casey called her dad before she turned herself into police.
"She told me she loved me and I said 'baby you gotta do the right thing,' and she stepped out and did the right thing," her dad said.
CREDIT: WTKR
Police records show Collier has active warrants in Richmond, Chesterfield and Henrico Counties.
In June, a warrant for Collier’s arrest was issued in Chesterfield for revocation of suspended sentence, which is a felony.
Court records indicate the Richmond warrant is related to a violation of probation stemming from a crack cocaine possession guilty plea in 2014.
Collier has been charged with driving on a suspended/revoked license in connection to Friday’s traffic stop, according to the Newport News Sheriff’s Office inmate records.
A neighbor who witnessed the incident said he couldn't believe it happened.
"He was cutting grass he was coming toward me and before I could really process what was going on, she runs over him, lawn mower and all," said Peter Chandler. "I was just like wow and everything else went in slow motion."
Neighbor Michael Chiesa shared those sentiments.
“You never know what’s going to happen. My best friend was just mowing his grass,” he said.
