MASON COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Milton woman was arrested Wednesday on felony hit-and-run charges after striking and killing a pedestrian she reportedly believed was a dog, according to West Virginia State Police.
Marissa Ruth Russell, the defendant, is accused of hitting Virgil Patterson Jr. while driving a red Chevrolet Sonic on Woodschool Road near Apple Grove on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Patterson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Senior Trooper E.H. Bennett responded to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive male in the roadway. Investigators found Patterson and scattered vehicle parts nearby, including a car grill later traced to a 2012-2016 Chevrolet Sonic via serial number.
Surveillance video captured the red Sonic traveling on Woodschool Road immediately after the incident. Witnesses identified Russell as the driver.
Troopers located Russell at her Mason County home later that day. She admitted to driving the vehicle and told police she struck “something” she thought was a dog, then continued on without stopping.
Russell was interviewed at the Huntington Detachment, where she repeated the account. She was arrested for hit and run causing death (felony) and booked into Western Regional Jail under a 100,000 dollar, cash bond only.
