On August 3, 2026, at 4:45 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a 911 report of a hit and run accident on US 41 near Interstate 64. According to the reporting party a semi-truck was stopped at a traffic light when a Black Mitsubishi went onto the shoulder of the lane and attempted to go around them. Once the light changed the semi began moving forward and the Mitsubishi sideswiped him and kept driving without stopping. Deputy Eric Powell located the Mitsubishi on US 41 approximately 9 miles north of the scene and conducted a traffic stop. During the traffic stop the driver of the Black 2023 Mitsubishi admitted to striking the vehicle and not stopping. After a brief roadside investigation 75-year-old Charles McCollum of Naples was taken into custody and transported to the Gibson County Detention Center where he was charged with Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident.
Arresting Officer Wes Baumgart was assisted in his investigation by Deputies Eric Powell, Bart Wagner, Shawn Holmes, Aubrey McNeely, and Riley Farmer.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
