Man Arrested In Edgewater For DUI Hit & Run, Abandons Van With 3 Children Inside

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Edgewater, FL - A man was arrested in Edgewater after officials say he caused a hit-and-run crash in New Smyrna Beach while driving under the influence and tried to abandon his van with three children inside. Police responded near I-95 and Opossum Camp Rd. in Edgewater at about 5:43 PM Tuesday after reports of a vehicle causing a hit-and-run crash in New Smyrna Beach. When officials arrived on scene, they found a man coming from the van and attempting to walk toward I-95. The man was identified as 39-year-old Mark Hackstie of DeLand. Police say the initial crash happened near the intersection of County Rd. 415 and FL-44, but Hackstie fled the scene via I-95 SB and got off at the FL-442 Exit in Edgewater. His vehicle was found about a quarter of a mile west of I-95. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) arrived, and according to police reports, Hackstie told them that he knew about the crash and that he left because he felt guilty because he had been drinking. Hackstie did not cooperate with officials and continuously tried to walk away from the investigation. Officials had to hold Hackstie to the ground and tase him because he was flailing his arms and being uncooperative. Hackstie had left the scene of the crash in New Smyrna, according to police, and tried to abandon his van later with three children, ages 1, 2, and 4, inside. The children were taken into the custody of a relative. Hackstie was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol and faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash, driving under the influence, three counts of child neglect, and resisting arrest.

(Hackstie's mugshot courtesy Volusia County jail)

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