Harper Woods man charged in hit-and-run death of Macomb County construction worker
Martin Dwayne Smith, 51, was charged in Macomb County for two felony counts of failing to stop at an accident. Authorities say he hit and killed a construction worker on I-94 on Monday.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office has authorized two charges against a man who turned himself in to police on Wednesday for the hit-and-run death of a construction worker on I-94.
Martin Dwayne Smith, 51, was charged on Friday with failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death and failure to stop at the scene of an accident, resulting in death. The first charge is a 15-year felony, the second is 5 years.
Smith, of Harper Woods, was given a $25,000/10% bond and is due back in court on October 9.
Zach Morisette, 26, was patching potholes on Monday during the afternoon when he was hit by a vehicle that failed to stop.
Shortly after the crash, state police put out calls for help from the public in their search for a suspect.
The vehicle involved was seized early Wednesday morning and the suspect turned himself in to police later that same day.
Morisette was part of a Macomb County road crew that had been contracted by the Michigan Department of Transportation to inspect manhole covers.
He was on I-94 near Nine Mile on Monday when he was hit by a car and killed.
His family said he survived cancer three times and was preparing to buy a house, wanted to get married, and have kids.
"Zach was the strongest person I knew," Rodney said. "He never stopped thinking about other people. He would have made a great father - because he was the perfect uncle."