Reports show 4 prior crashes, 3 suspensions for man police say hit little girls

by Kelli Cheatham (kcheatham@wsbt.com)

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A make-shift memorial and new signs — reminding drivers to slow down — mark the spot where Leroy Hoover, 56, hit four-year-old Shayla and her six-year-old sister Shianna as they tried to cross the street. (WSBT photo)

A make-shift memorial and new signs — reminding drivers to slow down — mark the spot where Leroy Hoover, 56, hit four-year-old Shayla and her six-year-old sister Shianna as they tried to cross the street. (WSBT photo)

By WSBT News1

Story Created: May 18, 2009 at 2:50 PM EST

Story Updated: May 22, 2009 at 11:07 AM EST

MISHAWAKA — Shayla Aston's obituary says she loved to sing, dance and play with friends. The four-year-old also loved baby dolls and Sponge Bob. A make-shift memorial and new signs — reminding drivers to slow down — mark the spot where police say Leroy Hoover, 56, hit Shayla and her six-year-old sister Shianna as they tried to cross the street.

There are still lots of questions about Hoover and what really happened.

“I know he would never intentionally hurt anybody,” said Karen Dickey, who lives near Hoover and has known him for about five years. “And I know he must really feel terrible.”

WSBT tried to call Hoover, and nobody answered the door at his Mishawaka apartment.

April Dorn lives next door.

“When I moved in, he said he needed his kids to come over and clean up his apartment and stuff,” she remembered. “My dad said he has glaucoma in his eyes. I know he wears glasses and he can't really see very well.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, glaucoma causes nerve damage in the eyes, diminishing sight. The disease is the second leading cause of blindness.

Hoover’s BMV record shows he can only drive in daylight, and must wear glasses or contacts. But it doesn’t say why.

Here is a list of Hoover’s past driving incidents:

  • BMV records show Hoover's license was suspended for leaving the scene of an accident in 1986. He was also suspended for not having insurance.
  • A 1996 South Bend Tribune article says Mishawaka police reported Hoover hit a 13-year-old boy near Carlton and Delaware Streets. The article says Hoover had a seizure while backing out of a driveway and lost control of his van.
  • Another Tribune article from 1999 says Hoover was hurt when he drove over a curb and hit a telephone pole on 12th Street in Mishawaka. BMV records show Hoover was suspended for 90 days for driving without insurance when it happened.
  • Police records show a fourth accident in 2005 — when Hoover allegedly backed into a gas pump at the Speedway on Lincoln Way West in Mishawaka, and left the scene.

    “Maybe they shouldn’t have [given] him his license,” said Dorn.

    “I feel bad for the little kids, I feel bad for the parents, I feel bad for Leroy,” Dickey told WSBT.

    As Hoover’s friends and neighbors reflect on his most recent accident, they say he’s not a bad person — just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    “He has to deal with that for the rest of his life,” Dorn said.

    A family member told WSBT six-year-old Shianna Aston is still in critical condition.

    The accident is still under investigation. Detectives have questioned Hoover, but he has not been arrested.

    The Fatal Alcohol Crash Team is still awaiting the results from Hoover’s toxicology screening.

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