Felony charges against former KRGV reporter Kirk Chaisson have been dismissed.
Chaisson, who plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge of accident causing damage to a vehicle, had also been charged with felony accident with injury after leaving the scene of an accident in Weslaco, Texas last October.
The former reporter for the Weslaco ABC affiliate checked on the condition of the other party involved in the accident, but didn’t give them a copy of his insurance information before leaving the scene. Police tracked him down by finding his insurance card inside his car.
“This result confirms what I stated last year,” said Chaisson. “I checked on the condition of the other people and made my information available to them. I just forgot to hand them my insurance card.”
Chaisson released a statement last year in which he said, “After I was hit, I got out to check on the passengers of the other vehicle. They assured me they were fine,” Chaisson wrote. “As I sought treatment for a concussion, I left my car at the scene, knowing full well that police would determine it was mine and then find me in short order.”
He was sentenced to a year of probation, a $1,000 fine and 20 hours of community service. Chaisson’s attorney says his employment with KRGV ended a few months after the accident.