Story Published:
Oct 8, 2008 at 7:04 PM EST
Story Updated:
Oct 9, 2008 at 7:46 PM EST
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Less than 48 hours after two deadly hit and runs, deputies have made arrests in both cases…the latest just today.
NBC Augusta 26 News was the only station there when Susannah Chance turned herself in Wednesday morning.
Chance is accused of hitting and killing Wendy Williams while she was crossing Gordon Highway Monday night.
She's charged with felony hit and run and felony homicide by vehicle in the first degree.
The Richmond County Hit and Run Division tells NBC Augusta they got their lead with a cover of a head light.
It may seem like little to go on, but in their line of work, those little things add up.
"In this particular case we were lucky enough to have a piece of the part that had a number on it," said Cpl. Danny Whitehead with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Whitehead says it's that small piece of evidence that lead to Chance’s arrest.
Wednesday morning Susannah Chance turned herself in to the Richmond County's Hit and Run Division.
Investigators traced Chance's car from wreckage found at the scene.
"Just like anything else, you've gotta have something to start with and usually it's a witness that got a tag number or even half a tag number," said Whitehead.
In this case it was a witness and a piece of a head light.
The Richmond County Hit and Run Division deals with about 130 hit and run cases a month and there are only three officers in the unit.
They have a high success rate of solving these cases.
"If we have any information to go on...something to get the investigation going very high...very high clearance rate," said Whitehead.
The unit also goes high tech to crack these cases. They have a computer data base that helps track down vehicles.
Investigators were able to solve Monday's other deadly hit and run with the help of surveillance video.
An 18-wheeler hit and killed a motorcyclist and took off. Police arrested the semi driver Monday in Columbia.
Richmond County is the only county in our area that has a hit and run division. They help surrounding counties in Georgia-Carolina.
