Judge sets bond for man accused in hit-and-run death
LAKE WALES (FOX 13) - A judge set bond for the man accused in a hit-and-run that killed a woman and severely injured a Polk Sheriff's Office deputy who was helping her.
Charles Lewis appeared in court on Friday, the day after he was arrested. A judge set bond at $101,000, confined him to his home, and mandated that he wear a GPS monitoring device.
"There is nothing that he can say that can ease our pain," said Maria Enchautegui, the mother of Jessica Enchautegui-Otero, who was killed in the crash.
Polk Deputy Adam Pennell was hurt very badly, is hospitalized, and will probably take months to recover. He was helping her on State Road 60 after a car accident, when investigators say Lewis ran into them both.
He had been partying at a bar named The Coop in Indian Lake Estates. He told investigators that he had 4 beers.
The manager of the Coop, Lynn Robards told FOX 13 that Lewis is a regular.
"I have never seen the man drunk," she said. "Drops in, has a couple of beers over an hour and a half and leaves."
Dale Gray, who knows Lewis from being around, describes him this way: "He was a real nice guy. He just did something wrong."
If he is convicted, Lewis could spend up to 30 years behind bars.