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Lebogang-Ram Motshabi, 25, was arrested in connection with the hit-and-run, which happened shortly before 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, on S. Tollgate Road near Aiken Terrace in Abingdon, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.
The victim, identified as Amaya Marie Martise, had reportedly been walking home from Walmart when she was struck by a driver who fled the scene. She remained undiscovered until the next morning when a passerby spotted her lying in a ditch and called 911.
Deputies arrived around 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, to find Martise badly injured, investigators said. She was airlifted to a trauma center, where she remains hospitalized in serious condition days later.
It was later determined that the impact of the crash sent Martise off the roadway, with her belongings scattered near the point of impact.
As detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division and Forensics Services Unit combed the scene, a tip from a witness helped narrow the search for the vehicle involved, leading them to Motshabi.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, a deputy from the Traffic Unit found a damaged vehicle on Logan Circle that matched evidence from the crash, and investigators identified Motshabi as the driver at the time of the collision.
Motshabi was arrested and charged with:
- Failure to immediately return and remain at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury;
- Failure to report to the nearest police;
- Driving a motor vehicle without a license;
- Driving an uninsured vehicle.
He was booked into the Harford County Detention Center but was released on a $5,000 bond on Wednesday morning.
Authorities are urging anyone with additional information to contact Corporal Shane Fraser of the Special Operations Division, Traffic Unit, at 443-409-3511.
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