Larry Hinkle was killed on Ky. 680 after being struck by a car, and it has been nearly five years to the day that the driver who hit him and fled the scene was found guilty and given a five-year prison term for his crime.

Kyle Collins, 27, of Owsley Fork Road, Berea, was found guilty on June 30 of reckless homicide, complicity in tampering with physical evidence, and leaving the scene of an accident/failure to render aid with a death or serious injury. Floyd Circuit Judge Johnny Ray Harris sentenced Collins to five years in prison.

Authorities say that on July 1, 2017, Collins’ car struck Hinkle, 60, of Mud Creek, who was walking along Ky. 680 close to Mud Creek.

Police stated Collins then left the area without offering aid to Hinkle and fled the scene.

Brent Turner, the Floyd Commonwealth’s Attorney, stated that the lack of suspects had brought the investigation to a halt.

“They had no suspects because the person who hit him kept on going. Many months later, someone found a car that had been pushed over the hill in an attempt to conceal it not far from the area of the accident,” Turner said.

Turner claimed that Collins had removed the vehicle identification number after asking his parents for assistance in abandoning the vehicle. However, the Kentucky State Police were able to locate the number on the vehicle in a different place.

“They had removed the VIN plate but KSP was able to find it from another location on the car and traced it back ultimately to Kyle Collins,” Turner said. “He initially denied it but eventually admitted he was the driver who had hit Hinkle.”

Turner claims that Collins denied being intoxicated at the time of the event and that no blood test could be used because of his fleeing from the scene.

“So the most viable charge to prosecute him on was leaving the scene of an accident where there was a fatality, which is a Class D Felony. Ultimately, he pled guilty to that charge and accepted a five-year sentence which is the maximum available,” Turner said.