North Kingstown hit and run suspect appears in court

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) — Latoya Rose, 38, appeared in Kent County District Court Friday morning to be arraigned on charges related to an alleged hit and run on Devil’s Foot Road in North Kingstown on the night of July 16 that resulted in two children, ages 13 and 15 being taken to the hospital.

According to prosecutors, the two children suffered injuries to their back, neck, chest, and head, and one of the children had to receive staples in their head due to the injuries. The kids spent a couple of days in the hospital and are now doing okay, police said.

According to a police report obtained by ABC6, surveillance video from the scene showed a silver sedan traveling east on Devil’s Foot Road and hitting the two kids. Police say the driver then stopped, turned around, and briefly got out of the car before getting back in and leaving the scene.

In court Friday, prosecutors claimed the children told police the defendant approached the injured kids and spoke to them before she fled.

“The juveniles described immediately following the accident the woman was standing over them and would call for help and then left the scene,” the prosecutor said.

But according to the police report, 9-1-1 call center records show no call was placed to the police by Rose.

Minutes after the crash, police received a call from a concerned resident about suspicious activity in a nearby apartment complex parking lot, saying a woman appeared to be striking the front of a car with a bat.

After arriving on the scene, police found a silver Honda Accord that was registered to Latoya Rose.

When speaking with police, officers say Rose at first told them she hit a deer

After being shown a search warrant for her car, the police report says Rose told officers that she hopes the kids are alright, and went on to say that she thought she hit a deer but did not admit to hitting the kids.

Rose was released on $10,000 personal recognizance.

If convicted of failing to stop in an accident resulting in injury or death, Rose faces a mandatory one-year loss of license and no more than five years in prison.