Marshfield Man Appears in Court for Hitting a Pedestrian and Leaving the Scene
Friday, January 23rd, 2015 -- 9:32 AM
-A Marshfield man charged with hitting a pedestrian with his vehicle and leaving the scene made an initial appearance in Wood County Court on Thursday.58-year-old Robert Purkapile allegedly hit a man with his pickup truck at the intersection of North Central Avenue and Arnold Street in Marshfield on November 7th around 9:30pm. Purkapile's blood-alcohol content was .229%, more than double the legal limit.
When an officer responded to the scene, a red pickup truck was pointed out to her. When she noticed it, the truck began to drive away. She followed Purkapile and stopped him and he told the officer he was aware that he hit someone and he drove away because he was scared. The pedestrian suffered fractures to his skull and pelvis. He also had lacerations, a chipped vertebrae and a concussion.
Purkapile has been charged with causing injury by drunken driving and hit-and-run causing great bodily harm. His $500 cash bond was continued and he'll appear in court again in February for a preliminary hearing. If convicted and sentenced to the maximum amount, he could spend 27.5 years in prison.
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