Charges increased after victim dies

A teenager accused of running from the scene of an auto accident that hurt an elderly pedestrian in North Charleston last month is facing more serious charges after the injured woman died over the weekend.

Justin Antwain White, 18, appeared in Charleston County bond court Tuesday on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

Magistrate Linda Lombard set his bail at $150,000.

The charge stems from a crash near the corner of Rivers Avenue and Target Street on the afternoon of Sept. 3.

An investigators' affidavit gives this account:

A brown SUV was making a right turn from Rivers onto Target a few minutes before 4 p.m. when it lost control, crossed the street and struck 81-year-old Juanita Starks.

Starks, who was standing at least 4 feet off the street, was thrown into a parked vehicle.

Officers found the SUV abandoned at Dorothy Williams Boulevard.

Charleston County EMS workers took Starks to Medical University Hospital, where she died about 3 p.m. Saturday, according to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.

A police report said she lived on the same street where the accident occurred.

Items found in the SUV led police to potential witnesses who identified White as the person behind the wheel, the report said.

White, a North Charleston resident, remained in jail on Tuesday afternoon.

Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com.