Bicyclist killed by drunk driver in hit-and-run

OCALA, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - The Ocala Police Department says that on Thursday, March 8th, at 1:51 a.m., 41-year-old Harold Fleming was driving eastbound on NE 24th Street and entered the westbound lane, striking a bicyclist with the front of his Ford F150 pickup. 

Police say that the bicyclist, identified as 33-year-old Perry Joshua Nolan Perez, was thrown onto the northern shoulder of the roadway and struck a set of utility pole wires before coming to rest. Perez was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The driver, Harold Fleming, is said to have continued traveling eastbound to the 2300 block of NE 24th Street, where he finally stopped and called to report the collision.

Fleming was arrested for DUI Manslaughter after breath samples revealed he had a BAC of .217 and .205. He has also been charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Fatality.

This is the third traffic fatality in Ocala in 2018. All three have been the result of a hit and run.