A 26-year-old Indiana man has been charged with murder in the hit-and-run death of a Lexington mother at a truck stop in Mount Sterling, according to officials with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
The United States Marshals Service took Arionne Harris, of Richmond, Indiana, into custody Saturday in Kansas. Harris will be extradited back to Kentucky to face the murder charge.
The sheriff's office said Harris was also wanted in Texas on a warrant for failure to comply with the sex offender registry.
The incident began in the rear parking lot of the Pilot Tuesday and continued onto Owingsville Road near the Interstate 64 overpass, investigators said.
Deputies were initially sent to the location for a 911 hang-up call and welfare check. Investigators identified Harris as a suspect using forensic and digital evidence, deputies said.
The victim, 36-year-old Felicia G. Joseph, was hit by a vehicle on Tuesday near the truck stop on Owingsville Road, according to Montgomery County Coroner Jimmy Adams. The road was closed for several hours while investigators processed the scene.
While the sheriff's office has classified the case as a criminal investigation, Joseph's family took to social media to call it a "targeted attack."
Janet Martin, Joseph's mother, said her family is struggling to come to grips with the loss.
Felicia was a vivacious, bold, loving woman with a huge heart and a strong spirit. She was only 36 years old, and she had so much more life left to live. Her birthday is Sunday, and we just wish she was here to celebrate it with us. Felicia didnt have an easy life, but she had an incredible fighting spirit. She fought through some very difficult things and became a strong, capable woman. She deserved the chance to keep living, to watch her children grow up, and to celebrate so many more birthdays. Our family is devastated. Her children are now without their mother, and we are struggling to comprehend a loss that feels impossible. We arent going to discuss the circumstances of her death while the investigation is ongoing. What I want people to remember is Felicia. She was bold. She was loving. She was a fighter. She was a mother. And she was deeply loved.Joseph would have turned 37 this Sunday.
The sheriff's office credited the Mount Sterling Police Department, Kentucky State Police and the United States Marshals Service for their help in the investigation.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Joseph's family.
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