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May 27, 2008

Johnston man nabbed in car accident that struck boy, 9

JOHNSTON -- A 31-year-old man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and other violations after police said his pickup truck struck a 9-year-old boy on Hartford Avenue on Friday.

The boy’s ankle was broken as he left the scene of a seasonal carnival in the area of 1450 Hartford Ave. around 10 p.m. Friday night, according to Johnston Deputy Police Chief Gary Maddocks.

Robert J. Gaunt, of 4 Doyle Ave., was arrested after police spotted his Dodge pickup parked at BJ’s Wholesale Warehouse on Sunday morning, Maddocks said.

One of the vehicle’s rearview mirrors was missing. Gaunt, a store employee, told police that he thought he fell asleep, Maddocks said.

Maddocks said Gaunt told the officer: “I got scared so I left, but I might have hit a pole.”

Investigators found that the boy was hit in the shoulder area by a mirror on Gaunt’s truck and they believe the driver ran over the child’s foot, Maddocks said. He was treated and released from Rhode Island Hospital.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 5:26 PM | Permalink

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