MELBOURNE, Fla. – Two months after a 74-year-old ran in his 31st and tragically final half-marathon, the driver police say drove into the runner’s lane on US-1 and killed Albert ‘AJ’ Swann is now behind bars.
A new police report reads James Wilson, who police say was on cocaine the morning of the Florida Marathon, said he thought he hit someone riding a bicycle with his Chevy Suburban.
Wilson wasn’t arrested that morning because police said the results from his drug test just came back within the past couple of weeks.
At the scene in February, police said he didn’t even call 911.
“You’re charged one count of killing a human being or unborn child with vehicle. Count two, DUI manslaughter,” Judge Jonathan Skinner read Wilson’s charges Friday at the Brevard County jail.
Your Melbourne Community Correspondent James Sparvero found out Abby Hilms, a personal trainer at EOS Fitness on Wickham Road, ran in the half-marathon too.
“Evil person hitting somebody who is innocent running a marathon at 73-years-old,” Hilms told Sparvero.
She also talked about the safety concerns she had for all runners that morning.
“All of my other races that I’ve participated in have never felt unsafe to me,” Hilms said. “We’ve never been on a main highway like that.”
Sparvero then asked if she thought about if she, or any of the other runners, could have been run over, instead of Swann.
“Absolutely, it could have been multiple people,” she answered. “It could have been me. It could have been a client. It could have been anybody.”
Police also said Wilson was driving without a license.
He’s still at the Brevard County jail without a bond.
We’ll keep you updated on his prosecution.