Former Dallas City Councilman Kevin Felder plans to plead not guilty to a charge of failing to stop and render aid in a reported hit-and-run crash with an electric scooter last February.
Felder was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday and while he said he was disappointed in the indictment he was confident he'd be exonerated.
Felder was arrested in February, a week after police say he hit a teenager who was riding a scooter in the 2500 block of Malcolm X Boulevard.
The scooter rider was struck from behind by Felder's Ford Fusion, causing the rider to be thrown to the ground, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The rider told police he is moderately disabled with a much shorter right arm than left. He told police that when he was thrown, he tried to roll onto his "good shoulder" before hitting the pavement.
The rider said he suffered bleeding and severe pain in his right arm after the crash and that he had to pull the motorized scooter out from under Felder's vehicle. he said he was "very angry and in pain and engaged in a verbal dispute" with the councilman.
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After the argument, the rider said Felder left without helping him or without waiting on Dallas Fire-Rescue or police.
A witness to the crash told police she saw the altercation between the rider and driver and that she identified Felder as the driver after having had a number of dealings with him at various community functions, including speaking at a City Council meeting as recently as last November. The witness also said she heard Felder yell at the rider, "Do you know who I am!?" before driving away from the incident.
Investigators also reviewed security video from a nearby business and, through the road investigation, found no evidence that Felder slowed down prior to the incident.
Detectives tracked Felder to a City Council meeting at 6801 Mountain Creek Parkway where they photographed and examined his vehicle, noting damage to the right front corner they said was "consistent with the collision being investigated."
Felder's car was towed from a Dallas City Council meeting that night as part of the police investigation. The next day, Felder's lawyer said there was no collision. The lawyer said a teenager on a scooter was weaving in the street and that Felder exchanged words with him, but did not hit him.
In March, Felder held a community meeting where he said he was innocent.
"First and foremost, I am totally innocent," Felder said at the meeting. "What was put in the media did not happen. We have all of the evidence that we need to prove my innocence. It's unfortunate that we all are having to go through this."
If Felder is found guilty of failing to stop and render aid, police said the incident could result in a felony charge.
Felder previously represented District 7 including far East Dallas and Fair Park.
