A subcommittee of the House Rules Committee killed a resolution proposed by Delegate Candi Mundon King (D-Woodbridge, Stafford) resolution called the STARR Alert, which aims to notify auto repair shops of hit-and-run crashes, prompting the owners to be on the lookout for drivers that fled the scene of crashes might seek vehicle repairs.
In August 2022, 25-year-old Alexis Hicks was struck outside a Norfolk hospital and later succumbed to her injuries. The driver fled the scene, and the case remains unsolved.
Her parents, Kayla Hicks and Jason Hicks, a police officer, plead with the Republican-led subcommittee to advance the resolution. Hicks said he considered his daughter’s death a murder and called it a traumatizing experience for his family.
“I hope this bill will help solve crimes like this in the future. Someone who hits a pedestrian and drives off it’s no longer considered a ‘fatality.’ It’s a murder,” said Hicks, adding police have no new leads in the 5-month-old case.
“We couldn’t help ourselves, so we turned to you all,” Kayla Hicks said to members of the subcommittee.
However, the Hicks would not get the relief they sought through a state government order this year. “This is a really good idea. We need to accelerate this,” said Delegate Chris Head (R-Botetourt), who abstained from voting.
However, the Head said a requirement in the resolution giving VDOT until November 30, 2023, to compile a comprehensive list of auto body shops would not be enough time for the agency to complete its work.
“VDOT says that time frame is ambitious for it to talk to every repair shop across the state and work with law enforcement,” said Head, who suggested postponing the deadline to 2024.
“We’re very supportive of what you’re trying to do here, but we’re not sure it’s the best way forward,” said subcommittee chairman Delegate Bobby Orrock (R-Spotsylvania).
The subcommittee voted down the party to lines 3-2 to table the resolution. Delegates Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria) and House Minority Leader Don L. Scott (D-Portsmouth) voted in the minority favor of the resolution.
Although Republicans killed the resolution, they hinted to Mundon King that there were other ways to proceed with the STARR Alert resolution. Still, they stopped short of providing details during the meeting.
Mundon King did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
