Man enters plea in 2014 fatal hit-and-run collision

The man charged with leaving the scene of an accident that killed a Clearwater man in 2014 pleaded no contest to the charge Thursday.

Cary Whitlock is due to be sentenced Feb. 24, according to Sedgwick County District Court records.

Jeremy Napier, 43, died in the Sept. 14, 2014, hit-and-run, but it took nearly two years for authorities to make an arrest in the case. Whitlock was charged in September.

Napier was found lying in the eastbound lanes of 103rd Street South between Ridge and Hoover with injuries to his torso and legs consistent with being hit by a vehicle, according to court records. Authorities have said he was walking along that stretch of road early on Sept. 14, 2014, before he was struck.

Vehicle debris left at the scene quickly led investigators to Whitlock’s home and vehicle. But he refused to speak with the sheriff’s office, according to court records.

Whitlock, 55, was in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing, but he opted to forgo the proceeding and enter a plea instead. His conviction carries a possible sentence of 7 to 23 months under Kansas sentencing guidelines. Probation is an option for a defendant with limited or no criminal history.

This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Man enters plea in 2014 fatal hit-and-run collision."