Upton man killed in alleged hit and run

A 71-year-old man is dead and another man is in jail following an alleged hit and run incident in Upton Wednesday.

“At 11:53 a.m., a 911 call was received of a vehicle versus pedestrian accident on U.S. 31W in Upton,” said Hardin County Sheriff John Ward. “Upton Volunteer Fire Department personnel were on scene first and found a 71-year-old male from Upton had been struck by a vehicle. The vehicle was no longer at the scene. The vehicle left the scene.”

The victim was tended to by EMS, however he was later pronounced dead by the Hardin County Coroner’s Office.

Deputies began investigating the incident, and through cameras available at the scene the suspect vehicle was identified and later located about two miles into Hart County on 31W, where Ward said it appeared that the driver had attempted to put the vehicle into a barn.

“Our deputies and the Hart County Sheriff’s Office approached the vehicle and found a gentleman, and he was arrested for DUI and lodged in the Hart County Jail,” Ward said. “He also has pending charges coming from out of Hardin County.”

Ward later identified the victim as 71-year-old Pete Hawk of Upton and the accused driver as Matthew Bush. The crash remains under investigation.