Suspect altered truck after allegedly hitting teenager, court documents say
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IDAHO FALLS — Court documents show the man charged in a hit and run incident from last year changed his truck’s appearance after photos of his vehicle were released to the public.
Kacey Mark Spencer is charged with last year’s hit and run that left 15-year-old Keeton Doggett seriously injured. A co-worker said Spencer told him, “If I did do it, I was so drunk I don’t remember,” according to court documents.
The hit and run happened on Aug. 24, 2017. The photos of the suspected trucks were released to the media on Aug. 28. Spencer’s co-worker told investigators when Spencer showed up to work that day, his pickup truck appeared as it usually does. On Aug. 29, Spencer went into work late and his co-worker noticed he’d made some changes to his truck, documents state.
According to documents, the co-worker said Spencer cleaned out the bed and added a camper shell. He’d also added a new piece of black vinyl on the driver’s side of the truck and removed the “FORD” emblems along with adding stickers to the back window.
Investigators showed Spencer a photo of one the suspected trucks. Spencer said it wasn’t his truck because his had a camper shell and vinyl on the driver’s side. He said he put the vinyl and the camper shell on his truck Aug. 27. However, after further questioning, Spencer admitted the vinyl was not on the truck on the day of the incident.
Spencer eventually told investigators his truck was not registered at the time of the incident, nor was it insured.
After impounding Spencer’s truck, investigators found what appeared to be transfer marks from a green-colored material on the undercarriage in various places. They also uncovered what appeared to be hair in an air dam at the front of the truck, but it was not confirmed if it was hair or not.
When Spencer was asked if he had hit Doggett on Aug. 24, he said no.
Doggett told investigators he remembered everything about the day he was hit. He said he pushed the crosswalk button and entered the intersection when the electronic sign indicated it was his turn to cross. He also said his bike was purchased from Walmart just two weeks prior and didn’t have any pre-existing damage.
According to documents, he told investigators he had almost made it through the intersection when he was hit. He said “he went into a ball” when he was first hit and then he was hit again. After being hit a second time he “went flat.”
Doggett was interviewed by investigators at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center on Sept. 11, 2017. At that time he said he had been in the hospital for 21 days. Seven of those days were spent in the intensive care unit.
He said his intestines had been pushed into the left side of his chest and that he wasn’t able to walk, but would be able to eventually. He had undergone four different surgeries and was told he would have to remain sitting for six weeks after being discharged from the hospital.
Doggett’s mother told investigators that doctors reported injuries her son sustained could only be the result of being run over or hit by a vehicle traveling at least 60 miles per hour.
According to court documents, investigators believe it is likely Spencer was under the influence or had been consuming alcohol prior to allegedly hitting the boy.
Spencer is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28.