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A bicyclist in a waterfront Florida town was killed in a hit-and-run crash after a serial traffic offender dragged her for blocks before leaving her to die on the side of the road, police said.
Xavier Rigby, 22, was arrested after the Pinellas County Police Department said he fatally struck the bicyclist with his vehicle.
The fatal collision occurred at approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, when police say Kjersten Aileen-Hermance Strang, 38, was struck by Rigby’s car while riding her e-bike in Gulfport.
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Strang was riding in the curb lane south on 49th Street when she was initially hit by Rigby’s 2021 Nissan Altima as it was moving “at a high rate of speed,” police said. The force of the impact caused Strang to land on the windshield of Rigby’s car, police said, and Rigby allegedly continued driving for about eight blocks before Strang was dislodged from the vehicle.
Strang – who was the mother of a young boy, FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported – was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rigby subsequently fled without calling 911 and was arrested in nearby St. Petersburg “a short time later,” police said. Upon being taken into custody, he allegedly showed signs of impairment and refused to partake in a field sobriety test.
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He is charged with vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash involving death, according to police records obtained by Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital was unable to immediately identify an attorney for Rigby.
Court documents show Rigby possesses a lengthy rap sheet encompassing numerous traffic infractions over the years, including a 2022 hit-and-run. During his first court appearance, Judge Elizabeth Zuroweste blasted Rigby’s criminal history in the years leading up to the deadly crash.
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Zuroweste reportedly pointed out a 2024 DUI arrest that was reduced to reckless driving, noting that the state was “generous enough” to offer the lesser charge for the purpose of lowering Rigby’s bond.
“We’ve now gone to a second DUI, but this time the extremely aggravating facts where you’ve killed somebody, left the scene and dragged their body. And I don’t need to go any further for how aggravating this set of facts are,” Zuroweste added, FOX 13 reported.
Rigby was denied bond on two of the charges and handed a $750,000 bond for the DUI manslaughter offense.
“I’m finding that you’re a danger to the community and that nothing else can secure your decision-making and putting your life and everyone else’s life on the road, so you’re going to remain at no bond in the vehicular homicide and the leaving the scene of a crash involving death,” the judge said.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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