Charges have formally been filed against a Portage resident in a fatal hit-and-run incident that occurred Monday in the area of 550 West and CR 700 North in Portage Township, the Porter County Sheriffs Police said.

The Porter County Prosecutors office on Wednesday issued a charge of reckless homicide and a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal crash -- both Class C felonies -- to Reinaldo Figueroa III, 19, of 2561 Hamstrom Road.

According to police, at 8:20 p.m. on Monday, a female driver advised she had run over a male subject lying in the roadway of CR 700 North.

Police said Franklin Ivey, 22, of Valparaiso, was pronounced dead at the scene. It was discovered after further investigation that Ivey had been riding eastbound on his moped and was struck from behind by a blue Subaru passenger car driven by Figueroa who fled the scene, police said.

Police said Ivey's body was left in the roadway from the initial crash and was run over later by the female driver who called 911. Investigators eventually located Figueroas vehicle in South Haven with major front end damage on Tuesday morning and took him into custody, police said.

Charges were filed with Porter County Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper who set bail at $75,000 cash or surety bond.

PCSP Public Information Officer Sgt. Larry LaFlower said an autopsy conducted in Mishawaka on Tuesday afternoon revealed Ivey died from multiple blunt-force trauma.

Posted 4/5/2012