A 77-year-old retiree in Bradenton, Florida, was fatally struck by her drunk neighbor while retrieving her mail on Friday afternoon. Jordan Beard, 40, veered off the road in a hit-and-run crash, police said. He faces charges of DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene.
Vicki Noon was in the yard of her home in the 5600 block of 11th Avenue West when Beard drove a gold sedan off the road and hit her around 1 p.m. on Friday, according to the Bradenton Police Department. Officers responded to reports of a hit-and-run and found Noon deceased at the scene. Witnesses saw the sedan fleeing, prompting a neighborhood search using security footage that identified the vehicle nearby in the 7200 block of 13th Avenue West, within walking distance of Noon's home. A sergeant spotted the car and Beard cooperated with detectives, police said. Beard has been charged with DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, and tampering with evidence. He was released on bond and awaits his next court date. Noon's family described her as a former nurse in a 55-and-up community, enjoying retirement until the incident. Her daughter, Jennifer Mulholland, told WTVT, 'It was stolen from her,' referring to her mother's retirement, and said it affected the family including her soon-to-be great-grandchild. Neighbors called Noon a 'very nice' and 'community-oriented lady' whom 'everybody knew on the street.'