FHP: Driver arrested in early morning hit-and-run crash in Lake County

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol says they’ve made an arrest in a hit-and-run crash that killed a Lake County teen Thursday morning.

According to the FHP, 14-year-old Owen Wells was crossing County Road 544 near Willo Pines Lane just before 6:30 a.m. when he was hit by a car driving northbound.

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Troopers said the teen was thrown into the southbound lanes, where he was hit by a pickup truck driving south on County Road 455.

See map of location below:

Read: Lake County student fatally struck by car

Investigators said the driver of the car — a Pontiac G6 — that first hit Wells never stopped, and drove away from the scene.

The driver of the pickup, a 59-year-old man from Ferndale, was not injured and waited at the crash scene until troopers arrived.

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After putting out a description of the car, FHP said Lake County deputies found the Pontiac they believe hit the teen abandoned nearby.

Investigators placed the car into evidence and said they were speaking with the owner about who may have been driving the car at the time of the crash.

Thursday afternoon, troopers announced they’d identified the hit and run driver as 57-year-old Enrique Ramirez of Winter Garden.

Ramirez is charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a first-degree felony. He’s being held in the Lake County jail on no bond.

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At nearby Lake Minneola High School, where Wells was a student, grief counselors were on hand to help students and staff deal with the loss of their classmate.

Video: Lake County student fatally struck by car Lake County Public Schools said a high school student was killed by a car Thursday morning. (WFTV)

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