Victim identified, man charged in Missoula hit-and-run death

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Authorities have identified the suspected driver and the victim in a fatal hit-and-run collision in Missoula earlier this week.

Robert Charles Nelson, 34, was charged Thursday with leaving the scene of an accident where a person was killed.

He told investigators he did not know what he hit on Tuesday morning and panicked because he was driving without a license. Police found his damaged car behind a business where Nelson worked.

Nelson has not entered a plea and remains jailed with his bail set at $10,000.

Nelson acknowledged hitting the pedestrian, but later said he thought the person may have intentionally jumped out in front of the car, court records said.

The Missoula County coroner's office on Friday identified the pedestrian as Johnny Lee Burns, 63, of Missoula.