Crawfordville, Florida – A woman has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run accident that left a young boy in Wakulla County critically injured. The Florida Highway Patrol took 44-year-old Alfreda Leshon Nelson into custody on Thursday evening at 5:50 p.m. She was taken to the Wakulla County Jail and faces charges for leaving the scene of an accident that caused serious injuries, according to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened just over a day earlier when nine-year-old Sawyer was struck by a vehicle while riding his dirt bike along East Excalibur Drive in Crawfordville. Authorities say the boy was left unconscious and rushed to the hospital by emergency responders. There, doctors discovered that he was suffering from a brain bleed and a broken femur. He was placed on a ventilator and remains in critical condition. His mother, Kaitlyn Crawley, shared that while Sawyer is still sedated, there’s some relief as the swelling in his brain has started to improve.
After the accident, Florida Highway Patrol immediately began searching for a red SUV, which they believed could be a Ford Escape or a Jeep 4-door.
In an effort to help find the driver, Sawyer’s family started a GoFundMe page to raise money for a reward. Kaitlyn Crawley expressed her heartache in a message, saying, “I just want this person found. He was a bright, energetic, typical nine-year-old who loves soccer and video games. It is so hard seeing him like this.”
The news has left the Crawfordville community shaken, with many hoping for justice for Sawyer and a full recovery for the young boy.
