A suspect has surrendered to authorities in a hit-and-run case that killed a Northern Virginia man and led the victim's family to plead for the driver to come forward.
The victim, Keith Ballard, was walking along Harrison Road near Meadow Park Drive in Spotsylvania when he was struck by a car a little after 11 p.m. Tuesday. The driver didn’t stop to help, didn’t call 911 and just took off, authorities said. A man riding his bike on the sidewalk discovered Ballard’s body.
In the aftermath, Ballard’s family pleaded for the driver to come forward, saying that finding the driver would help give them a small measure of peace during a very difficult time.
The suspect turned himself in on Thursday evening after seeing a media release about the case, the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday morning.
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Stephanas Rennick, 31 of Spotsylvania, is charged with felony hit and run causing death or injury. Rennick is being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under a secure bond, the sheriff's office said.
“I was so devastated and so disgusted and I’m so hurt that someone can take a life ... but leave him there on the side of the road,” said the victim's sister Mercedes Ballard.
Investigators found enough car parts scattered on the road to determine what kind of vehicle hit Keith Ballard. The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the car was a 2012-2013 Hyundai Azera with heavy front-end and passenger side damage. They had asked for the public’s help in finding the car and its driver.
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The sheriff's office said Friday that investigators found the suspected vehicle at Rennick's home. The car "had considerable damage consistent with evidence left at the scene," the sheriff's office said in a release.
Ballard's family said he loved dogs and doted on his nieces and nephews. He was the baby of the family, the youngest of five siblings.
“He was just one of the most sweetest and kindest persons that you ever meet,” Mercedes Ballard said.
Ballard’s family said they think he was visiting friends in Spotsylvania when he was struck and killed.
