State investigators were in Charleston Tuesday morning (April 5) trying to piece together the facts of an incident that led to the death of a local man last week.
Charleston Police Chief John Page said Mississippi Highway Patrol accident reconstructionists and agents with the patrol’s Bureau of Investigation were on Saint Charles Street, at the site where a pedestrian allegedly was struck by a car driven by his girlfriend.
That pedestrian, Lezelrick Poole, 29, of 425 Rosalind St., Charleston, died Wednesday night, April 6, at a Memphis hospital of injuries — “massive trauma” to the back of his head, according to Page — sustained during that 2:30 a.m. incident on Saturday, April 2. Page said Poole had been listed in critical condition since being airlifted to The Med from Tallahatchie General Hospital on April 2.
Aletha Scott, 32, of County Road 117, Tillatoba, whom Page said was driving an eastbound 2007 Chevrolet Malibu on Saint Charles that early morning, is charged with aggravated assault with a vehicle in connection with the episode.
The chief said he planned to consult with the district attorney’s office this week about whether the charge against Scott should be upgraded in the wake of Poole’s death.
Scott remained free without bond Tuesday morning after an April 4 decision by Charleston Municipal Judge Tara Lang to continue the case against Scott for two weeks pending further investigation.
Page said he asked state officials to take the lead in the probe of Poole’s death following a discussion with the district attorney’s office last week.
The reconstructionists and MBI investigators arrived Tuesday and completed their initial legwork in the case, the chief added.
“They went out, set up their equipment and looked at the whole scene — where the car was and where the body was,” said Page, who noted that state investigators also examined the vehicle that was involved in the incident. The car is impounded in a garage behind Charleston City Hall.
Although they did not cite a timetable, Page said he expects the state officials to reveal their findings to him “as soon as they can.”
