ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A driver involved in a 2024 hit-and-run crash that left a St. Petersburg officer injured pleaded guilty on Wednesday.
The St. Petersburg Police Department said on Jan. 6, 2024, around 1 a.m., an officer was conducting a traffic stop with lights activated on I-375, west of the 5th Avenue North entrance ramp.
According to officials, as the officer was getting out of the police vehicle, a white Kia sedan, driven by 25-year-old Mackenzie Paige Deaton, struck the vehicle. The officer was taken to Bayfront Health with minor injuries. No one else was injured.
The white Kia failed to stop at the scene and continued west. Officers said they found the Kia later on and took Deaton into custody.
Police charged Deaton with serious bodily injury, hit and run, tampering with evidence, and citations, including failure to follow the Move Over law.
On April 30, Deaton pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury and the Move Over Act.
According to police, the Move Over Law aims to protect emergency responders, disabled vehicles, and utility workers. When approaching any of these on the roadside, drivers must move over one lane if it's safe to do so. If changing lanes isn't possible, they must reduce their speed by at least 20 mph below the posted speed limit.
