Pineville man arrested in Bayou Vista fatal hit and run crash

A 31-year-old Pineville man was arrested Monday in Monroe and charged with hit and run stemming from an Aug. 11 crash in Bayou Vista in which a 22-year-old Patterson man on a motorcycle was killed, according to a State Police Troop I news release.
On Monday, Troopers from Louisiana State Police in Lafayette traveled to the Monroe Police Department, where Mark Joseph Montie Jr., 31, of Pineville, was being detained on State Police warrants.
Troopers transported Montie back to St. Mary Parish where he was booked into parish jail on charges of hit and run, no head lights, interfering with official duties of a state trooper, no insurance, driving under suspension, resisting arrest by flight, failure to yield from a private drive, illegal window tint, no license plate, unauthorized use of a moveable, failure to report a crash and possession of methamphetamine, the release stated.
Shortly after at 8 p.m. Aug. 11, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop I responded to a hit and run fatality on U.S. 90 in Bayou Vista. The crash resulted in the death of Jerome Rudolph Jr., 22, of Patterson, police said.
The preliminary investigation revealed Montie was operating a 1996 GMC pickup in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. Montie attempted to cross the westbound lanes of U.S. 90 to enter the U.S. 90 median turning lane, the release said. Rudolph was operating a 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle westbound on US 90, approaching the Wal-Mart parking lot.
As Rudolph approached the GMC pickup, Montie pulled into the path of the motorcycle, police said. Rudolph applied the rear brakes, causing the motorcycle to lie down on its side and strike the rear left quarter panel of the pickup, the release said. Rudolph sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash. The St. Mary Parish Coroner’s Office pronounced Rudolph dead on scene, the release stated.
The driver of the pickup, Montie, moved the vehicle to a controlled rest, and then fled the scene on foot, police said. Seatbelt usage and alcohol or drug usage for Montie were unknown, police said.
Rudolph was wearing an approved Department of Transportation helmet, police said. Routine toxicology samples were taken from Rudolph and sent to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis, the release stated.