Indiana man pleads guilty in 2018 crash that killed girl, 10

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - A Kokomo man has pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a 2018 crash that fatally injured a 10-year-old girl who was walking near a roadway.

Joshua Cochran pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident. Police said he was high on marijuana when his vehicle struck Renay Jenkins in August 2018 in Kokomo. She later died from her injuries at an Indianapolis hospital.

If a Howard County judge accepts Cochran's plea agreement at an Aug. 31 hearing, three other charges, including causing death when operating a motor vehicle with a controlled substance present in his blood will be dismissed, the Kokomo Tribune reported.

A felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident causing death and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana would also be dismissed.

After striking Jenkins, Cochran fled the scene, police said. Officers found Cochran, who was then 20, a short time later in his heavily damaged vehicle.

Police found marijuana in Cochran's backpack and he admitted to smoking pot before the crash. A blood test later confirmed illegal drugs in his system, court records show.