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Man charged with vehicular homicide after fatal hit-and-run

Posted at 10:22 pm November 29, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Dannon Ray Cole, 50, Clinton, has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man, Jordan Pitts, riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue (Clinton Highway) early Saturday, November 20, and then fled. (Photo courtesy Clinton Police Department)

 

A 50-year-old Clinton man has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue early Saturday, November 20, and then fled.

No one witnessed the fatal hit-and-run crash between the pickup truck allegedly driven by Dannon Ray Cole, 50, and the motorized bicycle carrying Jordan Pitts, 39, and the Clinton Police Department did not immediately have a suspect vehicle. The 3:30 a.m. crash near Portwood Road, a short drive from downtown Clinton on Clinton Highway, killed Pitts.

The person who called 911 found Pitts in the road, the CPD said. Pitts died later.

But when investigators responded, they found evidence at the crash site that helped them identify the hit-and-run vehicle, according to Anderson County court records. The evidence included vehicle parts: a portion of a front grill and red markings including the letter “G” and half of the letter “M”.

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Dannon Ray Cole, 50, Clinton, has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man, Jordan Pitts, riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue (Clinton Highway) early Saturday, November 20, and then fled. (Photo courtesy Clinton Police Department)

Note: This story was updated at 9:20 a.m. Nov. 30.

A 50-year-old Clinton man has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue with a pickup truck early Saturday, November 20, and then fled.

Dannon Ray Cole, 50, Clinton, has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man, Jordan Pitts, riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue (Clinton Highway) early Saturday, November 20, and then fled. (Photo courtesy Clinton Police Department)

 

A 50-year-old Clinton man has been found, arrested, and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after he allegedly hit a 39-year-old man riding a motorized bicycle on Clinch Avenue early Saturday, November 20, and then fled.

No one witnessed the fatal hit-and-run crash between the pickup truck allegedly driven by Dannon Ray Cole, 50, and the motorized bicycle carrying Jordan Pitts, 39, and the Clinton Police Department did not immediately have a suspect vehicle. The 3:30 a.m. crash near Portwood Road, a short drive from downtown Clinton on Clinton Highway, killed Pitts.

The person who called 911 found Pitts in the road, the CPD said. Pitts died later.

But when investigators responded, they found evidence at the crash site that helped them identify the hit-and-run vehicle, according to Anderson County court records. The evidence included vehicle parts: a portion of a front grill and red markings including the letter “G” and half of the letter “M”.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

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Oak Ridge, TN 37831

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Filed Under: Clinton, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: aggravated vehicular homicide, Clinch Avenue, Clinton Highway, Clinton Police Department, CPD, crash, Dannon Ray Cole, hit-and-run crash, Jordan Pitts, Scott Gregory, U.S. Marshals Service

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