Walter HaleThe homicide case against a Dayton, Tenn., man charged in the hit-and-run collision that killed a local thrift store employee will go before the Rhea County grand jury in December.
Douglas Edward Alvey, 51, was charged Sept. 22 with criminal homicide in the death of Walter Hale, an employee of the We Care Thrift Center, where he was allegedly run over by Alvey’s pickup truck.
Alvey had been the subject of a two-week search and a $1,000 reward leading up to his arrest.
Now he’s being held on a $400,000 bond, jail officials said.
Twelfth Judicial District Attorney Mike Taylor said this week that Alvey’s case was bound over to the grand jury during a hearing Tuesday.
On Sept. 6, Hale was behind the center when a man in a pickup truck pulled around at a loading dock, Dayton police Chief Chris Sneed said during the initial investigation.
“It appears that the gentleman gets out of his car and starts walking around behind the building,” Sneed said, referencing surveillance video that captured the incident. “Then the truck drives out, and it appears the truck accelerated, hit [Hale] and drove out on Iowa Avenue and turned left as if going toward Market Street.”
Hale fell off the hood of the pickup truck and into some rocks near the Krystal restaurant across the street, Sneed said.
Despite treatment, Hale died Sept. 10.
Surveillance video showed a man identified as Alvey walking around inside the store minutes before the deadly incident. Authorities found the truck believed to have been involved.
In the days after the deadly incident, We Care store manager Ina Carol Ring said Hale worked for the center for the last six years and was a beloved member of the staff.
“Everybody loved him,” she said, noting his sense of humor and desire to help.
Alvey’s next court appearance is set for Dec. 9, officials said.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.