Man charged in connection with Warren hit-and-run that killed 5-year-old boy
Prosecutor says Warren man changed his story in hit and run that killed 5-year-old
The Macomb county Prosecutor said 22-year-old Maurice Sumler was not honest when questioned by investigators and changed his story. Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said not only did Sumler not stop, he ditched his vehicle and then went on to work.
WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man accused of fleeing the scene after hitting and killing a 5-year-old boy in Warren was charged Thursday.
Police say Maurice Sumler, 22, hit Preston Singleton as the child crossed Van Dyke on his bike Tuesday night. Sumler is charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death.
If convicted, Sumler could spend 15 years in prison.
"I don't feel that three meals and prison walls and a cement slab and a pillow is doing anything for my family or this situation," said Preston's aunt, Rachael Draper. "Because my nephew will never see three meals a day again. My nephew will never have a cement slab to sleep on. That was his last cement slab right there."
Draper and two of Preston's young relatives were with him when he was killed.
"He knew it was a young child and knowing that he continued to go through and go to Sterling Heights, and go to work without any thought, compassion or sympathy toward the 5-year-old victim," said Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer.
Preston Singleton
Sumler is accused of leaving his SUV in a Taco Bell parking lot and trying to go to work. His grandmother contacted FOX 2 to defend him.
"When my grandson called me on the phone, he said 'Gran-gran, they said I killed a 5-year-old,' he was distraught. My grandson is not a bad kid, he has no criminal record, he has no none-of-that. He's not, you know, they stereotype us. And he is not stereotype material," Eleanor Brown said. "I know if he would have known he hit a kid, he would have stopped. He has a 5-year-old cousin. My family is not like that."
The family of Preston Singleton has set up a GoFundMe HERE if you want to donate.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said Sumler changed his story several times.
Sumler's given a $250,000 cash bond. If released on bond, he would be required to wear a tether. Lucido also said more charges are possible.