VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach woman is under arrest in the felony hit-and-run of a jogger on September 23.
On Saturday, police arrested and charged 29-year-old Alexis Rummel with running over Karen Stout, who 10 On Your Side introduced you to last Monday.
It happened on Carolina Avenue in the Shadowlawn neighborhood, and Stout is upset, because in her words she was left for dead.
After 13 days the suspect was found. Stout remembers the call from a friend, “Oh my God, I think we found the vehicle and we are on the way over there right now.”
That was Saturday night, and Karen Stout’s friends found the dark colored SUV and called Virginia Beach police, who were looking for the hit-and-run vehicle and driver. Police showed up, and would eventually find and arrest Rummel, charging her with felony hit-and-run.
Stout says Rummel told police she left the scene on Carolina Avenue because she panicked.
“That is absolutely no excuse. She panicked, of course she panicked, who wouldn’t panic? But you panic and then you call 911. You then make sure the person that you have knocked out is OK, and you stay with them.”
What really upsets stout is Rummel did not come forward for 13 days until she was actually questioned by police on Saturday. “The fact she confessed after they caught her is a lot different than her confessing before.”
Stout says if Rummel had only stopped and helped and apologized it would be different, “She could have left me for dead. She may have thought she left me for dead. She had no idea if I were OK or not.”
She has one break in one ankle, and three breaks in another, after Rummel allegedly ran over the ankles after hitting Stout.
Stout is upset that Rummel got bond, “I don’t know everything about the criminal justice system and why she is free right now, so police explained to me she is out on bond. People are eligible for bond, he said, unless they are a danger to society, which I said seems like she is, but they think she doesn’t qualify for that. I do think she does, she could have killed me that day, and I am a little bit disturbed she is free right now.”
10 On Your Side went looking for Rummel. Another woman answered the door and said, “no comment,” before slamming the door.
Stout is back home resting with a break in her left ankle and three breaks in her right ankle. She also has two fractured ribs, a swollen face, and a new crooked smile.
While she was sitting on a couch, she said, “do you see this here, the wounds are consistent with being run over on the left side of my feet. She ran over my ankles. She knocked me down from behind because I didn’t see her, which makes sense because she then drove away. What kind of person does that?”
Stout says if she were in front of Rummel she would say this, “I can’t believe you didn’t stop or call 911. Didn’t you wonder if I was dead or not? How could you do such a thing?”
Alexis Rummel works in the mail room of the Virginia Beach Treasurers Office. Treasurer John Atkinson says she will remain an employee until after the trial. That date could be determined next week.
Atkinson said, “I believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”
