Deputies: Florida man had pickup repainted to avoid hit-and-run death charge

Deputies said this 1966 Chevrolet pickup truck was involved in a hit-and-run collision that killed a woman. The truck was repainted black after the crash, deputies said.

Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Deputies said this 1966 Chevrolet pickup truck was involved in a hit-and-run collision that killed a woman. The truck was repainted black after the crash, deputies said.

A Florida man accused of hitting a pedestrian while driving a pickup truck allegedly attempted to have the vehicle repainted to avoid prosecution, authorities said.

Henry Earl Riner, 71, of Seffner, was arrested Monday and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with death, tampering with physical evidence and driving while his license was permanently revoked, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

Just before midnight Friday, Linda Kay Fisher, 46, was walking home on a dimly lit road after her shift as a waitress when she was hit and killed by a vehicle, police said. Her body was found in a ditch the next morning, the Times reported.

While authorities were searching for an orange-red truck that was involved in the crash, Riner allegedly was getting it repainted black, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.

“A piece of the vehicle found at the scene was a unique color,” sheriff’s Cpl. Larry McKinnon told the Times. "It was like the color of a traffic cone.”

A tip to Crime Stoppers led deputies to Riner, the Times reported.

Deputies said they found a 1966 Chevrolet pickup truck that had recently been painted black. A photo of the truck before the paint job showed the vehicle had been an orange-red color, the Times reported. Damage to the vehicle was consistent with the collision that killed Fisher, deputies said.

Riner was released on $19,000 bail Tuesday afternoon.