Man accused of hitting boy at bus stop

SANDPOINT — An arraignment hearing is pending for a Cocolalla man accused of striking a 7-year-old with a pickup truck while waiting at his bus stop.

Jason Dwight Newsome is charged with failing to give immediate notification of a collision and driving without privileges.

The misdemeanor charges stem from a collision on the morning of Oct. 26 in the 100 block of Gun Club Road, according to an Idaho State Police affidavit.

A trooper was summoned to Bonner General Health after receiving a report of a hit-and-run collision.

The boy’s family told state police a man drove the boy to heir home and said he hit him with his truck, but left without providing any further information, the affidavit said.

Newsome emerged as a suspect after his wife called the hospital to report that she had struck the child, according to court documents.

Trooper Kirk Mattila went to interview the woman at the View Café in Cocolalla, where the suspect vehicle was located. The woman, however, said she had an attorney and refused to cooperate with the investigation, Mattila noted in the affidavit.

Blood was plainly visible on the driver’s seat, in addition to the carpeting and floor mat beneath the seat, court documents indicate. The boy told state police he rode in Newsome’s lap while being driven home.

Witnesses positively identified Newsome as the man who brought the boy home, court records show.

Matilla arrested Newsome at a log yard in Cocolalla for obstructing law enforcement and driving without privileges. Newsome’s wife was also to be cited for obstruction, but the trooper offered to drop the obstruction charges against both of them if he told the truth about the incident, the affidavit said.

“Newsome said it was dark and foggy and he did not realize he hit (the boy) until he heard screaming,” Mattila said in the affidavit.

Newsome, 37, said he abruptly left the scene because his driving privileges are suspended due to nonpayment of child support in Ohio, the affidavit said. State police recommended Newsome be prosecuted at the felony level, according to court documents.

Newsome is free on $300 bail while the case is pending. His arraignment is set for Dec. 1 in Bonner County Magistrate Court.

The boy reportedly suffered a broken leg, in addition to numerous abrasions to his legs and feet.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.