Florida woman charged in deadly 2023 Polk County hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Nearly a year after a bicyclist was hit and killed along a Lakeland road, a woman has been charged in the crash. 

According to the Lakeland Police Department, officers were called out to the 3000 block of Bartow Road around 2 a.m. on Sunday, June 25, 2023, for reports of a hit-and-run crash involving a bicyclist. 

Upon arrival, police say they found a 42-year-old man who died at the scene despite life-saving efforts by first responders. 

Witnesses say someone in a small, gray-colored car was traveling south on Bartow Road shortly before the crash. After striking the bicyclist, police say the suspect drove away.

A gray side mirror cover with a Nissan emblem and a small gray square-shaped vehicle part was found at the crash site. 

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Later that day, law enforcement officers found the suspected vehicle at a home in Winter Haven. Police say the car had damage on its left front bumper, left front headlight, and left corner hood. 

Courtesy: Lakeland Police Department

According to an affidavit, the driver’s side window was shattered, a square-shaped piece was missing from the front bumper, and the left-side rearview mirror was missing the back cover and hanging to the side. 

Investigators say there was also blood residue in and on the vehicle and the DNA matched the crash victim.  

The suspect, later identified as Cassidy Mullis, told investigators that while she was driving home from the Rec Room, a Lakeland bar, she struck something that caused her front window to shatter. 

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Investigators say Mullis claimed that she made a U-turn to see what she hit, but witnesses say she never turned around. 

An affidavit states that Mullis’ car was inspected, and nothing indicated it had a mechanical failure before the crash. 

Investigators say Mullis knew or should have known that the victim was either injured or killed in the crash, and she should have stopped immediately and stayed at the scene. 

Police say Mullis turned herself in to authorities on Monday. Mullis has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death. 

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