Timothy J. Shoemake
WABASH,Indiana – The Marion man accused of killing Michael D. Leazenby in a hit-and-run accident in front of Wabash’s AutoZone on June 27th of last year has been found guilty of felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death as a level 5 felony. Timothy J. Shoemake, 34, was found guilty by a jury of his peers after a four day jury trial in the Wabash Circuit Court on Friday after he reportedly said that he didn’t realize he had hit anyone in the early morning hours coming back from a trip to Chicago. Shoemake initially told police that he though he hit a construction barrel alongside the road.
Meanwhile, surveillance footage from several businesses along the strip in Wabash pointed to a dark-colored, possibly red, Ford F150. Two days after the incident, Shoemake and his wife Crystal arrived at the Wabash Police Department claiming that he might have been involved with the accident after police clarified the vehicle’s description.
Evidence at the trial showed that there were no construction barrels on the street at the time of the accident. Leazenby was walking southbound along the shoulder of Cass Street when he was hit and the police say it his body wasn’t discovered until seven hours after the accident. Wabash County Prosecutor William C. Hartley, Jr. represented the State of Indiana and the Defendant was represented by Attorney Bradley Johnson from Seymour.
Sentencing has been scheduled for June 27th at 2:30 pm.