A Florida man has been arrested in connection to the death of MMA fighter Jordan Parsons. According to reports, the man has an extensive driving rap sheet.
In a report by People, the suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Dennis Wright. Delray Beach Police officials said in a statement that Wright has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, driving while his license was suspended as a habitual offender, as well as two counts of tampering with evidence. Officials say that Wright has been once convicted for DUI and his license has been suspended for at least four times. Wright also had convictions for disorderly intoxication and assault on an officer or firefighter.
Parsons was crossing a street on May 1 when he was hit by a Range Rover, which was allegedly being driven by Wright. Witnesses said that the vehicle was traveling more than 100 miles per hour, The Guardian reported.
An anonymous tipster claimed that Wright was the driver of the vehicle. Officials then investigated and Delray Beach police said they discovered Wright's mother owns a grey 2013 Range Rover Sport. It was later found out that Wright was indeed the person behind the vehicle during the night of the deadly hit-and-run incident.
Accordingly, Wright tried to have the damaged Range Rover repaired at a local car shop, New York Daily News reported. However, the owner refused to work on the vehicle so Wright rented a storage facility where he hid the car. Officials were able to retrieve the vehicle last Friday. The vehicle's driver's side mirror was missing and officers recovered the item at the scene.
The 25-year-old MMA fighter was in a coma for more than three days. However, his family decided to take him off of his life support. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the finances for the MMA fighter's funeral. It has so far raised nearly $37,000.
The bail for Wright was set at $450,000. His attorney, Robert Resnick, argued that the bail should just be $50,000 as there are "a lot of facts that have not been established in this case."
