Red Oak Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Deadly Hit-And-Run

ELLIS COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - A Red Oak man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in the death of another person.

Stoney Jewell Ellis, 44, plead guilty to the offense of Accident Involving Death on January 14, 2022. He admitted that he had previously been convicted of a felony and agreed to a 25-year prison sentence.

On August 7, 2016 at about 11:30 p.m., Albert Record was riding his bicycle on Ovilla Road in Red Oak, Texas. He had on reflective clothing, but a car hit him from behind, stopped, and sped away.

Texas law requires a person involved in a traffic accident to stop his vehicle, return to the scene of the accident, and determine whether any person involved in the accident requires aid. Even if the driver is not at fault, Texas law requires that the driver stop and see if anyone needs help.

A nearby homeowner heard the crash and called 911 after he found Record in a ditch calling for help. Record succumbed to his injuries nine days later.

Red Oak Police Department investigators determined that Ellis was behind the wheel of the vehicle that killed Record. A part of Ellis' vehicle was left at the scene, and police were able to trace the VIN number to his father.

Ellis' parents told police that Ellis lived with them and drove the car regularly. Witnesses that day said that saw Ellis driving the vehicle involved in the accident the day before the crash.

Police located and interviewed Ellis a week later. He claimed his car had been stolen the day before the crash and that he wasn't the driver, but the car was never reported stolen and has not been reported stolen to this day.

Ellis failed to appear in court that November, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He fled the state, apparently escaping to Oklahoma.

As reported by CBS 11 last July, Ellis was wanted in Bryan County, Oklahoma for homicide and escape. The status of those charges is unknown.

Ellis had been arrested at some point prior to July 2021 in Bryan County for homicide, but was able to escape the county jail, KXII reported. He was found in Sulphur, Louisiana, where he was arrested again.