Suspect in Chester hit-and-run that killed father of 2 surrenders
MEDIA, Pa. (WPVI) -- The suspect in a hit-and-run crash that killed a father of two in Chester back in December has surrendered to authorities.
46-year-old Tia Jones of New Castle, Delaware, arrived at the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Media on Thursday morning.
Jones faces multiple charges in the death of 46-year-old Ronald Jahmail Williams of Chester on December 16, 2017.
Family members say Williams, known as "Peabody," was on his way home from his bartending job when it happened. Jones knew the victim, authorities said. She and Williams were at the same bar shortly before the fatal crash.
Investigators say Williams stopped his vehicle for an unknown reason on the Highland Avenue on-ramp to I-95 southbound in Chester shortly before 3 a.m.
He got out of his vehicle, and that's when police say a car hit him and kept going, fleeing south on I-95. Williams was pronounced dead at the scene by the Delaware County Medical Examiner.
After Williams was hit Jones panicked, police say, and she allegedly hid her Volkswagen Passat first in a friend's garage, then behind some trees near her home in Delaware.
"The whole point is that people need to stop and render aid. There's a reason that law is on the books. You have to care about someone other than yourself. You have to stop and help," said Delaware County DA Kat Copeland.
Police say they received several tips shortly after the crash and Jones confessed a few days later. Investigators were awaiting DNA tests from her vehicle before they charged her on Thursday.
The charges include leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, and - the most serious charge - causing an accident involving death.
If convicted of the most serious hit and run charges, she faces a mandatory minimum of three years behind bars.
Bail for Jones was set at 10 percent of $250,000.
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