Police have arrested a 37-year-old man after ahit-and-run crash that severely damaged a St. Petersburg home early Monday.
Kendric Dennard Stephens took a family member’s Honda Accord and drove itinto the home at 4434 14th Ave. S. at about 3 a.m., the St. Petersburg Police Department said in a news release Wednesday. The agency previously said the car was stolen from the 2100 block of Ninth Avenue South. In an update Wednesday, the agency said the car was not stolen.
The impact caused a fire to the living room area of the home and took out walls and windows.
Surveillance video from a neighboring home showed a man walking away from the scene.
Abbott Henderson has owned the home for 35 years.
He and his wife, Sandra Henderson, have relocated to a hotel while they raise money for the repairs, Sandra Henderson told the Tampa Bay Times. The funds will also go toward replacing their vehicle, which was damaged in the crash, as well as household furniture and essentials lost in the fire, Henderson wrote in a GoFundMe post.
Sandra Henderson said they do not know Stephens.
“I’m happy that St. Pete Police did their jobs,” she said Wednesday. “He needs to go to jail and sit there and pay for what he’s done.”
Stephens faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage, driving with a suspended, canceled or revoked license and violation of probation.
His booking details weren’t immediately available.