$50K Bond Set for Rydal Man Suspected in Hit-and-Run

Bond was set at $50,000 this morning for the alleged hit-and-run driver accused of injuring a former Kennesaw State University student.

William Wilson Heaton Jr., 22, of Rydal, must relinquish his driver’s license, abstain from drinking alcohol, and remain under house arrest from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. each day, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

But before Heaton can be fitted with an ankle monitor, Athens-Clarke County Magistrate Court Associate Judge Benjamin Makin said Heaton must find a place in Athens-Clarke or Oconee counties to live, the Banner-Herald reported.

Heaton has been living in Bartow County and working in the farming industry, according to Tony Perrotta, his attorney. He surrendered himself to the Clarke County Sheriff's Office and was booked into the Clarke County Jail on Wednesday evening.

Heaton has been charged with hit-and-run, driving under the influence, serious injury by vehicle, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving and open container, according to Athens-Clarke County Police.

Police claim that Heaton's Mazda pickup hit Emily Bowman, 19, around 3 a.m. Feb. 16, as she and a friend walked home from another friend's birthday party.

They were walking on the grassy shoulder, investigators believe, when Heaton's Mazda pickup left the road and then hit Bowman from behind as he returned the vehicle to the road. He left the area and abandoned the truck, police believe.

Bowman has remained hospitalized at Athens Regional Medical Center since the incident. She has made slow, but steady progress in her recovery and her friends and her family have documented her tenure at the hospital on the Bows For Bowman Facebook page.

They've also arranged fundraisers to bring in money for the family to pay for Bowman's medical bills and other essential expenses related to her recovery.

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