Alton man charged in hit-and-run death of 2-year-old girl and her dog
A 2-year-old Godfrey girl has been identified as the child who died after being hit by a pickup truck that left the scene on Monday and a the suspected driver has been charged.
Ellee Grace Kiser died from injuries she sustained when she was hit by the truck on West Delmar Avenue at Pine Grove Lane in Godrey at about 3:37 p.m., Madison County Coroner Stephen Nonn announced Tuesday.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said that the truck had been located in Alton and that a “person of interest” was arrested Monday night.
Paul E. Broadway, 62, of Alton was charged Tuesday with failure to report an accident resulting in injury or death, a felony punishable to up to 15 years in prison. He is being held at the Madison County Jail on $100,000 bond.
Broadway was identified by a person who successfully identified his vehicle from a police description. Alton Police officers were able to stop the truck and make the arrest.
“We finally got a call that says, ‘Hey, I think I’m behind the vehicle you’re looking for,” said Madison County Sheriff John Lakin during a news conference Tuesday.
According to statute, drivers have 30 minutes to report that they hit someone to law enforcement. The hit-and-run was reported at 3:37 p.m. Broadway was arrested after 6 p.m. having not reported the incident.
Broadway pulled the vehicle over briefly after hitting the child and then left the scene, according to a preliminary investigation by the sheriff’s office. Lakin didn’t know how fast Broadway was driving, but it was not an “excessive speed,” he said.
Nonn said Ellee, who had just turned 2 on Aug. 16, was taken to OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, where she was pronounced dead from her head and neck injuries at 4:12 p.m.
She had been playing with the family dog in the front yard of her home at West Delmar Avenue at Pine Grove Lane. The dog also was killed.
“It was reported to us Ellee, the 2-year-old girl, was playing in her yard and the family pet started running toward the street, West Delmar, and the offending vehicle struck the dog and then Ellee,” Lakin said. “It’s such a tragedy.”
Madison County First Assistant State’s Attorney Crystal Uhe gave her condolences to Ellee’s family.
“These charges reflect the cowardly and criminal behavior demonstrated by the defendant, Mr. Broadway, after the accident occurred,” she said. “The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office will make sure that he’s held accountable for the life that he took and for the loss that is suffered by Ellee Grace’s family.”
Funeral arrangements are pending with Gent Funeral Home of Alton.
The sheriff’s office reported that it received multiple tips from the public in the effort to find the truck and the driver. One person was able to tell deputies the location of the truck in “real time,” according to a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.
“The public’s help in this was just overwhelming,” Lakin said.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 2:41 PM.
