Amanda Charlene Pitts, 38, of Pevely allegedly struck her boyfriend with a van following an argument they had while driving on Hwy. 67 south of Festus. She drove away after hitting the man and attempted to hide the van at a nearby home on Meyer Road in the Festus area, according to court documents.
Pitts has been charged with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and leaving the scene of an accident that caused a physical injury, court records said.
As of July 29, she was being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court and jail records show.
According to the probable-cause statement filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a trooper was called at about 4:30 p.m. July 22 after the man was struck while walking alongside northbound Hwy. 67 and Montauk Drive. The man, who had an injured leg, said he and Pitts were arguing while traveling in a Nissan Quest van, and he got out of the van just south of Meyer Road near Victoria Road.
Two people told the trooper that they saw Pitts drive the van north on the highway behind the man. They said it appeared Pitts intentionally drove to right to leave the highway and hit the man from behind, the report said.
The trooper wrote there were auto parts and debris near the area where the man was hit.
The trooper learned the registered owner of the van lived off Meyer Road just north of the accident. The trooper found the van parked in a wooded area near the listed owner’s home, and a tarp had been put over the Quest, according to the report.
The trooper wrote there was minor damage to the front right side of the Quest, and the license plate matched a description given by one of the people who saw the accident.
The trooper asked a woman outside the home if the van belonged to her, and she said it was her friend’s van. The woman then called someone to tell Pitts to come out of the home on Meyer Road, the report said.
Pitts allegedly told the trooper that she knew the man who was struck on the highway and that they were dating. She said they had been arguing, and the man had gotten out of the van because it was having mechanical problems, according to the report.
She said as the man was walking away, the van began to work again, and she was attempting to pull over to tell her boyfriend the Quest was running again. She allegedly said she hit the man while pulling over, the report said.
When Pitts was asked if she intentionally hit her boyfriend and why she drove away following the collision, she told the trooper she did not want to answer any more questions, according to the report.
The man was transported to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County, where he received treatment for his injured left leg, the report said.