Driver in deadly Columbia crash makes first court appearance
The driver suspected of fleeing a Columbia crash prior to hitting and killing a woman made his first court appearance Monday afternoon.
Lukas Evans turned himself in to Columbia police Sunday night after prosecutors charged him with murder and felony leaving the scene of an accident two days earlier.
Court records show that Evans appeared in court via video from the Boone County Jail. Judge Tracy Gonzalez ordered a bond investigation, which could recommend a lower bond than the $1 million cash-only bond ordered over the weekend for Evans.
Police suspect Evans of crashing into a car at West Boulevard and Stadium Boulevard on Feb. 16, causing more than $4,000 in damage. Evans then left the scene northbound on West Blvd., passing a car in a “no-pass” zone, and hitting Jordan Hoyt head-on. Hoyt died in the crash.
“I want to apologize to Jordan’s family for everything that’s happened, and that I’m turning myself in because I want to do the right thing,” Evans told ABC 17 News shortly before walking into the police department lobby on Sunday night.
Records from the Columbia Police Department show Evans was involved in at least one other crash in the last five years. A crash report from 2017 shows that Evans called police after a car hit him on West Broadway as he was leaving the Petco parking lot.
