Titusville man sentenced to prison for 2019 fatal hit & run crash in Cocoa

COCOA, Fla. — A Titusville man is headed to prison for leaving the scene of a fatal crash in 2019.

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Cocoa Police Department patrol officers responded to the 1000 block of West King Street on January 23, 2019 for reports of a man down in the roadway.

The officers arrived to find 61-year-old Bruce Calkins of Rockledge in the median. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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The responding officers also found a bumper from a black vehicle in the roadway a short distance from where Calkins’ body was found.

Approximately 30 minutes later, in the area of U.S. 1 and State Road 405, a Brevard County deputy stopped a black 2014 Acura with front-end damage that included a missing front bumper.

Investigators later matched the bumper found at the crash scene to the VIN of the Acura.

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The driver, identified as 38-year-old Jacqueice Witcher, was arrested at the time for driving under the influence while the investigation into Calkins’ death continued.

Investigators analyzed glass fragments, blood, and other forensic evidence collected from both Calkins and Witcher. The results proved conclusively that Witcher was the person driving the Acura at the time of the crash.

“There was blood and tissue evidence on the driver’s shirt that matched the victim’s DNA profile,” a Traffic Homicide Investigator explained after Witcher’s arrest. “This evidence along with video evidence are enough to confirm the suspect was driving and immediately fled the area after hitting the victim.”

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The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office fugitive task force took  Witcher into custody months later after a judge signed a warrant for his arrest for the hit and run.

Witcher pleaded guilty in November of this year and was sentenced just last week to spend 11 years in prison followed by eight years of supervised probation.

Witcher was also ordered to pay more than $3,000 in court costs and nearly another $3,000 in restitution.

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