HIGH POINT, N.C.(WFMY)--High Point Police have arrested and charged Santa B. Gurung in the hit-and-run of a jogger last month.
Police say on November 7 Gurung hit Michelle Townsend with his car while she was jogging across the roadway and then left the scene. A surveillance camera captured the hit-and-run which happened at the intersection of Barrow and Williard Dairy Roads.
Townsend might've solved her own crime! She staked out the intersection she was hit about seven times, alternating with her husband so they would catch the suspect.
I knew in my gut that it was someone on their regular routine either driving to work, or driving to the gym because where else do you go at 6:15 in the morning," Townsend said. "I knew if we stayed out there at the intersection enough times we would eventually see the right car."
She did. Police identified the suspects car as a Honda CRV based on the surveillance video. Michelle was able to narrow down which one hit her.
"We knew it was a Honda CRV, we knew it was a dark color," Michelle said. "There are only two that came through, a red one and a black one."
Then it came down to a gut feeling.
"My husband felt confident, he said it’s the black one, you know, we sat out there many mornings and every single morning the black one came through and I said that’s it."
Michelle passed along the information to High Point Police, which led detectives to Gurung who turned himself in to police Friday around 10 am, they confirmed.
He is charged with Felonious Hit and Run and given a $50,000 unsecured bond.
"I’m relieved this portion of my story is solved and it was kind of fun being the one to help solve that, of course the police obtained the video with the car and the color, and without that we would have had nothing and this case probably wouldn’t have been solved."
Michelle says Gurung did the right thing by turning himself in after a warrant was put out for his arrest.
"I don’t have any ill will, everyone makes mistake I don’t think he was paying any attention whatsoever," Townsend said. "He didn’t know, he says he has an old car and it makes funny sounds sometimes so he was chalking it up to that."
