Man charged nearly two years after Springfield hit-and-run killing of pedestrian
Before John Hofstetter clocked into work at Tracker Marine in Bolivar on the morning of April 26, 2022, he reportedly told his manager he was going to be late because had just been in a Springfield vehicle accident.
Twenty-one months later, Hofstetter, 44, was formally charged with second-degree involuntarily vehicular manslaughter in the hit-and-run death of a pedestrian, 59-year-old Jerry Westmoreland.
According to court documents, Hofstetter was heading north on Kansas Expressway near Division Street around 5:30 a.m. when police said his SUV drove onto the median and struck Westmoreland and continued to drive. A witness told police he saw the collision and proceeded to follow Hofstetter's fleeing vehicle to a nearby gas station, telling Hofstetter to return to the scene.
After reportedly driving to the gas station in which he was followed, Hofstetter later arrived to his job at Tracker Marine, where his coworkers told police they noticed damage to his vehicle, matching the description of a news report from a hit-and-run incident earlier in the day. The coincidence was enough for an employee to call in a tip to authorities, believing Hofstetter to be a suspect.
After reviewing surveillance footage from the accident, speaking to witnesses, and acting on the tip from Tracker Marine, investigators believed they had enough to detain Hofstetter for questioning. A police report said Hofstetter then admitted to investigators that he accidentally hit the man and drove away. Hofstetter was arrested by Springfield Police, but was released.
Despite what initially appeared to be overwhelming evidence against Hofstetter and an admittance to fleeing, charges were not filed soon after the incident, but 21 months later. Greene County assistant prosecutor Zach McFarland told the News-Leader that cases of this nature can take longer because the painstaking technicality of processing vehicles, forensics of the crash, examining footage, and reaching out to with witnesses.
Hofstetter's charges of involuntary vehicular manslaughter and fleeing the scene of an accident were filed Jan. 29, 2024, the same day Hofstetter was charged with a series of other crimes relating to a August 2023 shoplifting attempt at Bass Pro Shop in Springfield.
Hofstetter, who was also cited for trespassing at a Springfield address on Jan. 25, appears to be out on bond as he was not listed Friday on the Greene County Jail roster.
Ryan Collingwood covers a wide range of topics for the News-Leader with an emphasis on public safety. He can be reached by phone at 417-258-8174 and email at rcollingwood@news-leader.com. You can also follow Ryan on social media at X.com/rwcollingwood.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Man charged for 2022 Springfield hit-and-run killing of pedestrian
