{"id":71903,"date":"2026-06-24T19:26:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=71903"},"modified":"2026-06-24T19:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:27:09","slug":"pcsos-traffic-homicide-investigators-solve-april-fatal-hit-run-crash-in-polk-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/06\/24\/pcsos-traffic-homicide-investigators-solve-april-fatal-hit-run-crash-in-polk-city\/","title":{"rendered":"PCSO\u2019s Traffic Homicide investigators solve April fatal hit &amp; run crash in Polk City"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ab8f82\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ab8f82;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"510\" height=\"369\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-24T192503.136.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-71904 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-24T192503.136.webp 510w, https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-24T192503.136-300x217.webp 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two men were arrested by Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office detectives on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, as part of an investigation of a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred in April.<br><br>The investigation by the PCSO\u2019s Traffic Homicide Unit began in the early morning hours of April 23, 2026, when\u00a0<strong>39-year-old Brandon Roy Moran of Polk City<\/strong>\u00a0was found on Fussell Road near Polk City, deceased, and near the 4-wheeler he had been riding.\u00a0<br><br>Evidence at the time suggested that a 2009-2014 Hyundai Sonata was possibly involved in the crash.<br><br>Detectives learned a 2012 Hyundai Sonata was registered in Auburndale, about eleven miles away from the crash scene. When detectives located the vehicle, they recovered evidence from it that confirmed it was involved.\u00a0<br><br>Following additional interviews, detectives determined that the driver was\u00a0<strong>Richard Slaughter, 52, from Lakeland<\/strong>. Slaughter\u2019s cell phone records also showed that he was in the area of the crash at the time that it occurred.\u00a0<br><br>Finding Slaughter proved to be difficult, but on June 23rd, detectives followed up on a tip that he was at a residence at 5533 Fussell Road, and multiple PCSO units responded and surrounded the property.<br><br>Contact was made with a resident at the home,\u00a0<strong>71-year-old Stanley Walker<\/strong>. But Mr. Walker claimed Slaughter was not inside the home.\u00a0<br><br>Regardless, deputies gave K9 warnings and eventually Slaughter emerged from within the residence.\u00a0<br><br>Detectives arrested both men, and they were transported to the Sheriff\u2019s Processing Center.<br><br>Richard Slaughter was charged with\u00a0<strong>Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Death (F1), Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic Offender (F3), and Resisting without Violence (M1).<\/strong><br><br>Stanley Walker was charged with\u00a0<strong>Accessory After the Fact in a 1st Degree Felony (F2).<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two men were arrested by Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office detectives on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, as part of an investigation of a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred in April. 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