Family of hit-and-run victim relieved suspect back in jail
Family of hit-and-run victim
SPOKANE, Wash. — A man accused of hitting a Spokane woman with his car and leaving her to die is back in jail, this time accused of driving under the influence.
Bobby Bowerman, 37, was arrested last fall for hitting a woman in north Spokane and taking off. He posted bond and was released pending trial.
Last Wednesday, the same day a judge set his trial date for next month, he was arrested for DUI. Because committing another crime was a violation of his release conditions for the hit and run, a judge issued a no-bail warrant in the DUI case.
Spokane Police said Bowerman admitted to driving into Melissa Tolliver, 42, on November 11, when she was crossing the street at Colton and Holland. Witnesses said Bowerman sped away after the crash.
The next day, a Spokane Police Officer saw a truck matching the description of the suspected hit and run vehicle. He pulled the driver over and it was Bowerman in the driver’s seat.
“He hit her so hard, the only way you could ID her was basically the tattoo on her wrist,” said Tolliver’s sister, Michelle Perryman.
According to probable cause documents, Bowerman initially denied his involvement in the fatal crash, but later told authorities he was the driver and thought about killing himself because he was so upset about what happened.
Bowerman posted bond and was released last fall as long as he appeared at all court dates, remained in Spokane County, and had regular contact with his attorney. His release conditions also prohibited him from breaking any laws.
According to the DUI citation from last week, Bowerman was pulled over for DUI just after 6 pm at Nevada and Wellesley.
Perryman said she was shocked to hear that Bowerman was back in jail. “My family and I knew somehow he’s going to mess up,” she said.
The hit-and-run case goes to trial in June.
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