Driver arrested month after hit-and-run crash that left woman dead along Jefferson Highway
BATON ROUGE - A man who left the scene of a wreck after he allegedly hit a woman with his truck was arrested over a month after the fatal crash.
Jarrett Rachal, 40, was arrested Sunday on charges of hit and run and driving with a suspended license.
The crash happened Jan. 23 along Jefferson Highway near Highland Road. Police say Leah Tatman had been struck in the back of the head by the truck's sideview mirror and landed face-first on the pavement.
According to an affidavit, police were able to identify Rachal as the driver by using fragments of his truck mirror left at the scene and tips from the public. Rachal admitted he knew he had hit something but believed it was an animal or a sign.
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He told investigators he returned to the scene the next morning to check, and saw nothing. He also claimed he heard nothing about Tatman because he does not watch the news or have social media.