A quiet country road just north of Worthing was the scene of a fatal hit and run on Wednesday, May 23, 2018.
The victim, 34 year old Tessa Jacobs, of Worthing, was walking around 7:45 p.m. when her family says she went missing. She was walking on 473rd Avenue between 278th Street and 277th Street just north of Worthing. Her family reported her missing to the Lincoln County Sheriff. Authorities using tracking dogs searched throughout the night and the victim was discovered in a road ditch around dawn on Thursday morning.
Also that morning, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help in locating a vehicle involved in the fatal hit and run crash. Based on evidence at the scene, the suspect vehicle was believed to be a 1999 – 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup with damage to the right front with the passenger side rear view mirror missing. A picture of the passenger side mirror found at the scene was posted online.
Later that day, a suspect was in custody. Lincoln County Sheriff Dennis Johnson says Christian Dixon, 21, of Sioux Falls, was arrested late Thursday afternoon on first degree manslaughter charges. Authorities say the suspect vehicle, a 1999 Chevy Silverado, was located in southwest Sioux Falls thanks to tips from the public.
Dixon made his first court appearance on Friday. A prosecutor for the state said that Dixon admitted to consuming alcohol before entering his truck on Wednesday. Dixon is facing a class c felony charge with no minimum, but a maximum of life in prison and a $50,000 fine. He is being held on a $155,000 bond. The hit-and-run also violated conditions from a September 2017 DWI. Dixon will make another court appearance on Friday, June 8th.