Police Arrest Man Who Fled Accident, Left Children In Crashed Car

Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a Grawn man they say crashed a vehicle and fled the accident scene, leaving two children strapped in car seats hanging inside the car.

Deputies responded to the scene of the single-vehicle crash at 5pm Thursday on East Duck Lake Road near Mason Road in Green Lake Township. Edward Cortez Walker, 38, is believed to have been driving the 2004 GMC Yukon and took a curve at high speeds, causing the vehicle to leave the road and overturn on its side. A woman saw the crash and stopped to check on the occupants; when she heard children crying inside, she told Walker she was calling the police. Walker then took off running away from the crash scene. The woman told authorities that two children in the car, both under 10, were left in the vehicle alone and were still strapped in their car seats, hanging inside the vehicle.

The children did not sustain any injuries in the car accident. Walker is believed to have broken into an unoccupied home on the night of the accident on East Duck Lake Road, with his whereabouts unknown until Monday. After asking for the public's help in finding him, the Sheriff's Office announced they had arrested Walker late Monday afternoon at a residence in Leelanau County. He is now lodged at the Grand Traverse County Jail.