GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Granville Crockett Batey Jr., 43, was arrested early Tuesday on a hit-and-run charge, marking his second arrest on similar allegations in less than three weeks.
The incident began around 5:42 p.m. Sept. 14, when a 911 caller reported seeing a white Mazda being driven erratically near Butler Plaza. According to the caller, the vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a median. As the witness followed the Mazda, the caller reported that it rear-ended another vehicle at the intersection of Clark Butler Boulevard and Southwest 33rd Place, then left the scene. The Mazda later reportedly ran off the road, entered a ditch and damaged a Florida Department of Transportation fence.
A second witness told officers the Mazda struck the victim’s vehicle while it was stopped at a traffic light. The Mazda then turned onto Southwest 33rd Place and entered the Walmart parking lot, where the witness lost sight of it. She said the driver waved toward the victim’s vehicle before leaving.
Another witness said the white Mazda hit the vehicle from behind, backed away and fled. That witness reported seeing the Mazda travel over a sidewalk and median before continuing along the roadway. She followed the vehicle for a time but eventually lost track of it.
A passenger in the struck vehicle said she and the driver felt the impact from the rear before the other vehicle drove away. The passenger said she was not injured in the collision.
The driver told police she had seen the Mazda traveling the wrong way on two occasions before the crash. She said her vehicle was stopped at a light when it was hit. Although she reported experiencing pain afterward, she chose to drive herself to an emergency room. An officer estimated the damage to her vehicle at roughly $3,500.
When officers arrived, they reportedly found Batey inside the Mazda, which had become stuck in a ditch. Police said that after being told to exit the vehicle, Batey put it in Drive and attempted to leave. The wheels spun in the ditch, but officers said he continued trying to drive the vehicle free.
Officers also reported seeing Batey actively inhaling from an aerosol can, later identified as Spray-X Electronics Duster.
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After receiving his Miranda warning, Batey reportedly told officers he had “bumped into” another vehicle and tried to pull around it. He said he did not see the other vehicle after passing it and estimated he had been traveling about 5 mph. Batey also claimed the other vehicle struck him. He told officers he had “passed out” at some point during the incident and said his tires began spinning after he lost consciousness. Asked about the aerosol can, he said it was intended for cleaning and denied inhaling or ingesting its contents.
Batey was taken to an emergency room for evaluation before being booked into jail. He reportedly agreed to provide a blood sample at the hospital, and the sample was submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing.
Batey has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, driving under the influence with damage to a person or property, resisting an officer without violence, and inhaling a controlled substance. He has six felony convictions (one violent) and 22 misdemeanor convictions (four violent), along with three DUI arrests and a previous conviction for leaving the scene of a crash with property damage in 2000. He is on pre-trial release following an August 26 arrest for leaving the scene of a crash that disabled the other vehicle; he was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence on that date.
Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $135,000 on the new charges and ordered him to wear a transdermal alcohol monitor.