Leon Benton Wanted; – A teenage girl from Eliot, Maine, is in the process of recovery following a hit-and-run incident that rendered her unconscious in a ditch on Wednesday. The elderly driver involved is now facing legal charges.
According to police reports, the girl was located by her sister. The event transpired on Wednesday afternoon at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Worster Road. Authorities state that the 13-year-old was walking along the roadside to meet her sister at the bus stop. Prior to the bus’s arrival, 82-year-old Leon Benton drove past the area.
“He informed us that he had fallen asleep and was startled awake when he heard the sound of the mirror striking something,” stated Sergeant Ron Lund of the Eliot Police Department. “He believed he had collided with a tree along the roadside.”
While the 13-year-old lay unconscious in the frigid ditch, her sister found her approximately 20 minutes later after being dropped off by the bus. “She discovered her sister in the ditch,” Lund continued. “She managed to bring her home, and their mother contacted us once they arrived.”
Officers arrived at the location, found vehicle debris, and traced it back to Benton, who resides nearby. “That aspect remains under investigation,” Lund remarked when questioned about whether the driver expressed remorse for leaving the scene of the accident. The sergeant confirmed that the teenage girl is “doing well.”
“She was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where she underwent numerous tests and experienced some pain from the impact of the vehicle,” Lund noted. “Had it been just a second earlier, she could have been completely run over.” The driver has been charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and is scheduled to appear in court in April.
