Pedestrian Killed On Clearwater Road; Driver Charged: Police

CLEARWATER, FL — Clearwater police have charged a man with DUI manslaughter after they said he was involved in a crash early Saturday morning on Missouri Avenue that killed a pedestrian.

The crash occurred at 12:42 a.m. at Missouri Avenue near Druid Road. Multiple callers reported a man injured or dead, laying in the road. When officers arrived, they found a 34-year-old man dead in the road.

The vehicle involved in the accident left the scene, but officers were able to track down it down about 20 minutes later.

Police arrested the driver, Christian Hooks, 22, of Clearwater. According to police, he was driving north on Missouri Avenue at a high rate of speed when he struck the pedestrian, who was later identified as Joshua Maxson, 34, of Clearwater.

Police said Hooks performed poorly on field sobriety tests and two breath samples showed he had a blood alcohol content of .217 and .223 percent. Florida's legal limit for intoxication is .08 percent.