Accused in Smithfield hit-and-run that injured teen due in court July 29

Published 7:51 pm Tuesday, April 23, 2024

A Gloucester County woman accused of a Nov. 4 hit-and-run on Benns Church Boulevard that left a 14-year-old boy with life-threatening injuries is scheduled to appear in court on July 29 for a preliminary hearing.

Virginia State Police say the teenager was walking a bike along the highway at approximately 12:25 a.m. the night of the incident when 31-year-old Chanice Lynette Atkinson allegedly struck him with her car and fled the scene.

Police say they found Atkinson’s 2019 Nissan Rogue with extensive front-end damage, and Atkinson herself, in Gloucester County on Nov. 5 after matching the vehicle to evidence left at the scene of the crash.

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According to Isle of Wight County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court records, Atkinson’s hearing was originally set for April 22 but continued to the summer date by agreement of her attorney, Matthew Barbero, and prosecutors. Atkinson, who’s charged with Class 5 felony failure to report an accident with injuries, faces one to 10 years in prison, or, at the discretion of a judge or jury, up to 12 months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine, if convicted.

The teen, identified in an online fundraiser for the family’s medical expenses as Danny Warren, is expected to make a full recovery, according to the family’s GoFundMe.com page, which had raised $4,330 of a stated $25,000 goal as of April 23.

Warren was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News the night of the crash, and, according to the fundraiser, was released on Nov. 9.

Atkinson, who was arrested Nov. 6, remains out on bail.