62-year-old pedestrian severely hurt in hit-and-run on Arkansas road, police say; 1 held

Jason Clinton Gothard, 41
Jason Clinton Gothard, 41

A 62-year-old pedestrian was severely injured when he was hit by a pickup on an Arkansas road Friday morning, police say, and one person has been arrested.

Fort Smith Police Department spokesman Cpl. Anthony Rice said the man was struck shortly after 8 a.m. while he was walking in the 1400 block of Fresno Street.

The victim was stuck by a white Ford pickup driven by 41-year-old Jason Clinton Gothard, according to Rice, who added that Gothard's truck also knocked over over a mailbox before he fled the scene.

Police said they found the pickup abandoned near the 1900 block of Fresno Street.

After searching for Gothard for several hours, police arrested him around 12:45 p.m. in the 2200 block of E. J Street, Rice said. He was taken to the city's Police Department for questioning.

The injured man was airlifted to a Little Rock hospital, according to the spokesman.

Rice did not have an update on the man’s condition Friday afternoon but noted that it “doesn’t look good.” The victim's name was not released.

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