Man Gets House Arrest, Probation in Hit and Run

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) _ A former Department of Natural Resources reserve officer will spend more than eight years under house arrest and on probation after his conviction in the hit and death of a bicyclist. Media outlets report that 48-year-old Jeffery Thomas of Mount Pleasant was sentenced Tuesday after a one-day trial in Charleston. Authorities say that 40-year-old Matthew Denton was struck and killed on James Island in August of 2012. The hit-and-run charge had been dropped during a preliminary hearing. Thomas’ attorney had argued his client had fulfilled his legal obligation by performing CPR and asking someone to call 911 before leaving the scene. Authorities say Thomas returned 20 minutes later with his girlfriend. But a grand jury indicted Thomas following a further investigation and he went to trial Tuesday.