Photo: Valerie McGlothlin
A Marion County Circuit Court jury has found a Yellville woman, 36-year-old Valerie McGlothlin, not guilty of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, according to court documents filed Friday. McGlothlin’s jury trial was held earlier last week.
McGlothlin was arrested and charged last June in connection with an accident in which her vehicle struck 65-year-old Donnie Paxton of Summit as he walked along State Highway 202, just west of State Highway 14.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on the evening of Jan. 4, an Arkansas State Police trooper was among those responding to the single-vehicle crash. His investigation indicated McGlothlin’s vehicle had struck a pedestrian on the westbound fog or white line of the roadway.
McGlothlin’s van sustained damage to the front passenger side area, including the windshield, as a result of the collision.
Paxton was carrying miscellaneous items, including over $667 in cash. It was later discovered he owed upwards of $600 to a Summit grocery store and was likely traveling to the business at the time of the accident.
McGlothlin stated she did not know what she hit. After the collision, she stopped to assess the damage before traveling to her residence in Yellville. She said after she arrived at her residence and realized the extent of the damage, she called the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to file a report.
After Paxton’s body was later located, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
McGlothlin was represented by attorney Justin Downum of Mountain Home.
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