Sawyer Area Hit-and-Run
A 35-year-old Gwinn man is in the Marquette County Jail today after a hit-and-run accident Monday night.
It happened at about 8 pm last night in the parking lot of the Sawyer Shoppette store in West Branch Township.
Michigan State Police from the Negaunee Post say the man’s name won’t be available until after he’s arraigned, which is expected to happen later today.
He’s accused of striking 27-year-old Elizabeth Kohtala of Gwinn with his Chevy Cavalier in the parking lot and then driving away.
Police say the hit-and-run took place after a disturbance of some kind in the parking lot that involved the suspect.
Kohtala was an innocent bystander.
She was treated at Marquette General and released.
State Police say witness statements helped them identify and locate the driver in Forsyth Township a short time later.
They arrested him for operating while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and driving with a suspended license.
The Forsyth Township Police, the Marquette County Sheriff’s Department and Skandia-West Branch EMS assisted in this case.