From Staff Reports

A man fled his wrecked pickup after slamming it into another truck that was stalled on the Interstate 20 bridge over the Mississippi River Tuesday night.

After the wreck at 7:30, police searched but did not find the man witnesses said was injured.

Joshua Presson, 16, of Mound, and Dustin Harvey, 17, of Tallulah, were crossing eastbound on the bridge when the Toyota pickup Presson was driving ran out of gas.

“He started stalling out,” Harvey said. “I told him to put it in neutral and we’d pull off.”

No sooner was their pickup on the bridge’s narrow shoulder than a white, 2006 Chevrolet pickup slammed into them, causing extensive damage to both vehicles and nearly driving the one occupied by Harvey and Presson over the side of the bridge.

Neither Presson nor Harvey appeared to be injured.

After the impact, Presson said the other driver approached his window, shook his hand and told Presson he was not insured. Then he left, quickly.

“He shook the guy’s hand and took off running,” said Deputy Delta Marshall David LaSalle.

Officers pulled a bottle wrapped in a paper bag from the man’s pickup. “We found a half-gallon bottle of vodka in the car and a cup of juice that smelled to me like vodka,” LaSalle said.

LaSalle said this morning the pickup was registered to Randy D. Clark, a Mississippi resident.

LaSalle said several charges are pending against the driver.

One lane of the bridge was closed to traffic for several hours.

At about 6 this morning, another wreck was reported on the bridge, also in the eastbound lanes, and sent three people to River Region Medical Center.

Injured were Tiffany Saunders, 23, Heather Williamson, 27, and Richard Williamson, 35, all of 200 Frederick St. Lot 102, Tallulah.

According to the accident report, they were traveling in a small car, but the report did not indicate which was driving. An 18-wheeler also was believed involved in the wreck, but no investigator was available for details.

Reports on the victims’ conditions were not available this morning.

Laurel man shot on North Frontage

A Tuesday night shooting sent a Laurel man to the hospital, Vicksburg police said.

Curtis Parker, 41, No. 12 Trails Inn, was shot once in the arm, Vicksburg Police Sgt. Sandra Williams said. He was treated and released from River Region Medical Center after driving himself there.

Parker told police he was driving in the 4100 block of North Frontage Road, when he pulled over to help a person on the side of the road. The apparently stranded man attempted to rob Parker, and Parker said he was shot when he resisted.

The incident was reported at 11:06 p.m.

The shooter was described as a black male, 18 to 20 years old, about 5-foot-7 and wearing a black shirt with a black hooded pullover.

City man arrested for cocaine possession

A Vicksburg man faces drug charges after a traffic stop Tuesday night.

Just before 9:30, cocaine was found in the vehicle of Justin Young, 25, 2065 Sky Farm Ave., who had been stopped by police on Alcorn Drive, Vicksburg Police Sgt. Sandra Williams said.

He was being held pending his initial court appearance today.

Air-conditioner missing from tanning salon

A 3-ton air-conditioner was reported stolen from a tanning salon Tuesday.

The burglary at Some Beach, 1920 S. Frontage Road, was reported at 1:44 p.m. The owner said the theft occurred between Dec. 7 and Tuesday.

The Payne unit was valued at $1,750.