Father Turns in Attleboro Son in Fatal Hit-and-Run

Photo: Jacob LaCourse during his arraignment Monday. (Credit: Steve Cooper/WHDH)

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Police said a local man did something no father would ever want to do—he turned in his son in a death case.

Jacob LaCourse, 24, of Attleboro, was arrested over the weekend and charged in the January hit-and-run death of Karen McHugh, Seekonk’s former assistant town clerk.

LaCourse was arraigned Monday and held on $1 million bail. He pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of a crash—death resulting and negligent driving.

Police said they got a break in the case when LaCourse’s father approached them and said he son may have been involved.

“The man had a conscience,” said Seekonk Police Chief Craig Mace, according to the Boston Herald.

LaCourse was allegedly delivering pizzas at the time of the crash. After he hit McHugh, he turned around and drove back past the scene, police said.

LaCourse had been wearing a GPS bracelet at the time—as he was previously charged with raping a girl—and police said GPS data showed he was in the area at the time of the crash.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn praised police for their “tireless” investigation.

“For the past six months, these investigators have followed up on hundreds of potential leads and tips,” Quinn said in a statement. “This arrest results from their determination to seek justice for Karen McHugh.”

McHugh was 51 years old at the time of her death. She left behind a wife, Sandy. She was an animal lover and volunteered at a local animal shelter, according to her obituary.

Karen McHugh