Hit-and-Run Driver Enters Plea

ROSEDALE — A driver who struck and seriously injured a bicyclist in Rosedale earlier this year did not stop to help because she believed she had hit a deer, according to statements made in court Thursday.

Jessica Carnes, 43, of Joppa, entered a plea accepting responsibility for the March 14 collision that caused life-threatening injuries to William C. Mitchell Jr. including a shattered pelvis, an aortic injury, rib fractures, and liver lacerations, requiring emergency surgery.

Mitchell also suffered fractures to his tibia and fibula so severe that “initially doctors thought it would result in an amputation of his right leg,” Assistant State’s Attorney Felise Kelly said.

Medics were called after Mitchell, 87, was found lying injured near Litany Lane and Philadelphia Road at about 12:20 a.m.

Police said Mitchell was wearing dark clothing and was riding a black-and-neon bicycle equipped with a rear reflector.

Police located Carnes at her nearby apartment about two hours after the crash and found damage to the passenger side of her Acura consistent with car parts recovered at the scene, Kelly said.

Surveillance video from local businesses and Carnes’ apartment building showed her vehicle intact when she left her apartment, but damaged when she returned around 12:15 a.m., Kelly said.

“[Carnes] did not contact police or EMS. She did not render any aid to Mr. Mitchell,” Kelly said.

Officers noted Carnes appeared lethargic and was slow to respond to questions during her interview that night, Kelly said.

Carnes’ attorney, George Psoras Jr., said there was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.

“There was nothing impeding her ability to drive in a careful and safe manner,” he said.

Carnes initially told officers she got out of her car and saw a deer, but later revised her account, saying she did not stop or see a deer and instead assumed she had struck one because there were woods nearby, Kelly said.

Carnes entered an Alford plea to two counts of failure to immediately stop a vehicle at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, a traffic violation punishable by up to one year in prison on each count and a fine of up to $3,000.

An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to likely secure a conviction at trial. Courts treat it the same as a guilty plea for sentencing and conviction purposes.

Prosecutors are recommending a one-year sentence on each count — the maximum allowed — suspending all but a yet-to-be-determined period of jail time, along with probation. Kelly said the state will seek more than $100,000 in restitution.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2026.