Bond Set for Suspect in Hit-and-Run that Killed Teen

Within hours of the hit-and-run on George Street on March 5 that killed Henry Waye Jr., 14, Bristol police had tracked down a white pickup truck that matched descriptions from witnesses.

But it wasn't until Monday that the owner of the truck, Robert Park, 44, was arrested and charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, manslaughter and operating under the influence.

He appeared in court Tuesday, where his bond was set at $95,000 and another court date was set for July 14.  

"(It’s) still very devastating. It brings everything back, but we are glad that they finally got him and we're just hoping that justice will be done in the near future," Waye’s grandmother Arlene Waye said Tuesday as she awaited the arraignment.  

Park was drunk when he hit and killed Waye as he walked home from a skate park with a friend, police said.

"One minute he's walking with his best friend and the next minute he's gone," said Gary Valencis, Waye's grandfather.

Valencis said the family is still struggling with the loss and still in disbelief over the driver's careless decisions.

"What really is very, very difficult to accept is the fact that the individual who did this kept going. He did not stop," Valencis said Monday night.

Park lives on George Street, just up the road from where Waye was hit, police said. 

Police questioned Park that same night, but Park was taken to a hospital for treatment and not charged until nearly three months later.

Police say Park had been "unavailable" to arrest until Monday. Sources say he was in rehab.

Waye's family said that while they knew this arrest was coming, it doesn't take away the pain.

"This will never just go away. It's something we'll deal with for the rest of our lives," Valencis said. "One of my best little pals is gone and it should not have happened."
 

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