HCSO identifies “hit and run” driver

Deputy Sheriff Paul Cumpton verified Friday that the identity of the elusive driver of a vehicle that tore through the wall of a Bonaire man’s home gym earlier this month, and then fled the scene, has been discovered.

Fortunately, David Moore was away from home in the early hours of Saturday, February 1—the morning of the crash—and suffered no physical injury. But Moore informed Houston Home Journal in an earlier interview that several items to include expensive fitness equipment and irreplaceable weightlifting awards were completely destroyed. Though nearby neighbors had heard the disturbance going on outside as the then unidentified driver untangled his vehicle from the debris and left the scene, no one came out at that early hour to get a clear view of what was causing it. The lack of descriptive information at the time left the Houston County Sheriffs Office little to go on as they investigated the case.

“We went through a lot of bits and pieces of information that we got from [different people] and finally we were able to get a name of the suspected driver of the truck,” Cumpton said. “We were then able to locate the truck two counties over and secure a search warrant for the truck.”

Cumpton said not only did they confirm the identity of the truck driver, but they also discovered that another individual—a second driver—was involved who received charges as well. “Once I felt like we had enough to place charges; one of the suspects had secured an attorney, so I worked through his attorney and total charges were all put together.”

The individuals were given the opportunity to turn themselves in; which they did. The driver of the truck that went through Moore’s home was identified as Christopher Griggs. The 25-year-old was charged with reckless driving, speeding, aggressive driving, driving too fast for conditions, tampering with evidence, insurance violation and for his failure to report the accident. In addition, a second driver was cited for the part he played in the incident. Robert Avery, age 24, was charged with reckless driving and aggressive driving.

According to Cumpton, an earlier incident involving the two men had occurred “up the road,” and that led to both of them driving at high rates of speed on the Bonaire road that ran alongside Moore’s home. Road and ground conditions were very wet during the time as a result of recent heavy rains. In process of their excessive speeds, Griggs lost control and his white truck left the roadway and crashed into the unoccupied home.

Deputy Cumpton admitted that due to the lack of information, this wasn’t an easy case to crack. “It was a lot of work, and there were some times when we didn’t even think it was going to work out,” he confessed. “A white pick-up truck was all I knew at one point and time. There are a lot of white pick-ups, so it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” The perseverance and teamwork ultimately paid off though. “We caught some lucky breaks, and we capitalized on them.”

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