Felony charge filed against man accused of hitting child on bike

A Shawnee motorist accused of hitting a 6-year-old bicyclist while driving with a suspended license and then leaving the scene has been formally charged in Pottawatomie County District Court.
Elvin Sanders, 45, 515 N. Chapman, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, which is a felony. He also faces misdemeanors of driving with a suspended license and failure to carry insurance verification.
Sanders is accused of leaving an accident at Hickman and Center streets on Aug. 11. Charges allege he was driving the 1990 Oldsmobile that struck a boy on his bicycle.
That child, Brady L. Sheets, suffered a broken leg and was treated at Unity Health Center.
A police report shows Sanders was driving south on Center Street when he reportedly struck Brady. Sanders was arrested a short time later in the 700 block of North Park, where he allegedly exited his car stating he “was sorry and that he panicked,” the police report reads.
Sanders was taken to the Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center. En route, he allegedly told an officer he didn’t see the child. The report shows Sanders said he stopped and carried the child to the porch and talked to his father, but panicked and left because he was driving without a license. Sanders said his boys used to play with the child because they lived nearby, the report reads.
Sanders remained jailed Wednesday on a $15,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 2.
If convicted of the felony, he could face imprisonment for 10 days to two years, a fine or $50 to $1,000, or both. For driving with a suspended license, he could face a fine and imprisonment of no more than one year in the county jail. For failure to carry insurance verification, he could face up to 30 days in the county jail or a $250 fine.
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Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.