Florida Man Accused Of Dragging Man He Hit With Car, Dumping Body At Bait Shop

TAMPA (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida man accused of hitting a pedestrian with his car reportedly dragged the body to a bait shop where he dumped it.

Charles Strickland, 28, struck the 32-year-old man Sunday morning as he was walking along a Hernando County road north of Tampa, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Strickland reportedly kept driving with the body on the car to Dixie Lee Bait shop, where he left it behind the shop before calling his roommates for help pushing his car back to their house. He told the roommates that he had hit a deer, and then once he got home, he spray painted over the damage, investigators said.

One of the roommates looked at the car later that morning and called law enforcement. He told investigators he didn't think the damage was caused by a deer. It was about that time that a human leg was spotted on the side of the road, near where the hit-and-run occurred the night before.

Using a cadaver dog, investigators found the rest of the body behind the bait shop and went to Strickland's house to question him. He tried to run but was stopped by sheriff's deputies.

Strickland was arrested on charges including leaving the scene of a crash involving death, tampering with evidence, and having no valid driver's license or insurance.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)