Rochester man indicted in September hit-and-run

Richard Garland (Rochester Police photo)

DOVER, N.H. - The Rochester man arrested in a hit-and-run accident on North Main Street in Rochester in September was indicted on two felony counts last week by a Strafford County grand jury.

Richard D. Garland is charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving while under suspension or revocation, both Class B felonies punishable by three and a half to seven years in state prison.

Garland, 20, of 10 Silver St., is alleged to have struck a 25-year-old Somersworth woman walking in a North Main Street crosswalk near George and Ed’s Convenience Store around 6 p.m. on Sept 19.

The woman was Medflighted to Maine Medical Center and continues a slow recovery from leg injuries she sustained in the accident, sources familiar with the injured woman say.

Witnesses the night of the accident said they saw a black Nissan Pathfinder flee southbound after the incident.

 A police investigation resulted in Garland being identified as the driver who had fled, and he was arrested on Sept. 26.

The indictments were handed down on Dec. 19 and released today.

Each felony charge also carried the potential of a $4,000 fine.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt, only that a grand jury has found sufficient evidence for a trial.