IDAHO FALLS — A local woman is facing felony charges after she mistook a man’s identity and deliberately ran him over with a car thinking he was someone who had victimized a family member, police said.
According to court records, Brandi Morgan, 39, hit the man with her car in a the parking lot of the WinCo Foods on North Woodruff Avenue on Jan. 18. The victim was crossing a lane in front of the store when Morgan reportedly hit him.
The probable cause affidavit states Morgan turned into the victim and hit him abruptly. She then reportedly drove away.
A witness reported that they heard the driver yell “That’s what you (expletive) get,” as she drove away.
“Based on viewing the footage of the incident, this incident was very deliberate,” a police detective wrote in the affidavit.
The affidavit states the hit-and-run broke both of the victim’s feet, requiring him to get surgery.
The Idaho Falls Police Department put out a news release about the hit-and-run on Feb. 1. The department received an anonymous tip on Feb. 21 that the driver was Morgan. The police detective went to Morgan’s place of work and found her car, writing that it appeared to be the same vehicle seen in security footage of the incident.
When questioned by police and shown the video of the hit-and-run, Morgan told the detective “I don’t admit to anything, but there is a backstory.” She referred the detective to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
The tipster who reported Morgan also reportedly said she believed she hit a man who had committed a crime in which a relative of hers was a victim.
After the detective told Morgan the man she hit was somebody unrelated to the case, she reportedly said “That’s great.” The detective wrote that she appeared to be in shock.
Later in the interview, Morgan told the detective, “I was absolutely certain it was him, so I wasn’t feeling bad. I hoped that he hurt every day for the rest of his life.”
Morgan was charged with aggravated battery, punishable with up to 15 years in prison. She was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury or death, punishable with up to five years in prison.
A no-contact order was issued between Morgan and the victim. Her bond was set at $35,000.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 11 in Bonneville County Court.
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The Idaho State Journal invites you to take part in the community conversation. But those who don't play nice may be uninvited. Don't post comments that are off topic, defamatory, libelous, obscene, racist, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. We may remove any comment for any reason or no reason. We encourage you to report abuse, but the decision to delete is ours. Commenters have no expectation of privacy and may be held accountable for their comments. Comments are opinions of the author only, and do not reflect the opinions or views of Idaho State Journal.