Overview
- Police say 53-year-old Thomas Earl Cole was identified from surveillance video of a black truck that struck 9-year-old Therman Wallace Jr. on Friday near Pennsylvania Avenue and Lacock Street.
- Investigators traced the truck to Cole through its registration and reported smelling alcohol on his breath when they found him at his Monaca home.
- According to the criminal complaint, Cole said he felt a bump, thought he saw rocks when he looked back, and asked how he could get a DUI after drinking at home.
- Prosecutors charged Cole with homicide by vehicle while DUI and other related counts, and a preliminary court hearing is scheduled for May 7.
- The school held a vigil and is offering counseling for students and staff, and neighbors say a nearby road closure has funneled fast cut-through traffic onto the block, prompting a new 10 mph sign on Lacock Street.