Hit-And-Run Fatality Leads To Arrest After Anonymous Tip Received

A 23-year-old Valrico man has been arrested in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 29-year-old Tampa bicyclist, after an Aug. 6 crash at the "U.S. 92 overpass crossing over the off-ramp for Interstate 4 eastbound," according to a report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

That's when, at about 7:50 a.m., the victim, Michael Duriel Lee, of 4113 East Linebaugh Ave., reportedly was riding his bicycle eastbound on the right shoulder of the road.

Facing a charge that he left the scene of a crash involving death is Christopher Jacob Kimmel, of 4011 Briarlake Drive, whose 1999 Ford Ranger pickup truck was found behind Ben's Family Restaurant, at 704 East Brandon Blvd., according to the Aug. 7 report.

An anonymous tip led detectives to the restaurant, where they reportedly matched a paint chip found at the scene of the accident with a "section of paint from the hood of the vehicle."

Kimmel "works at Ben's, and came to the restaurant at approximately 9 a.m. [Aug. 6] to see his brother, who also works" at the restaurant, according to the report. The brother reportedly took Kimmel to Brandon Regional Hospital "for treatment of a laceration to his head."

In an earlier report, asking for the public's help in identifying the driver in the hit-and-run accident, it was reported that Lee had been ejected from his bicycle, "over the guardrail to the south, and came to rest in the retention area below, approximately 80 feet below the overpass."

The motorist that struck him did not stop, the report continues.