Left inset: Dawn Dunkle (Clearwater Police Department). Right inset: Elbert Gilbert (GoFundMe). Background: Surveillance footage showing what cops say is Dawn Dunkle driving her red Ford Mustang on a street near the area where she allegedly hit and killed Elbert Gilbert (CPD/Facebook).
A Florida woman plowed into a homeless 60-year-old father with her Ford Mustang as he was in a marked crosswalk — and told people afterward that she "thought she had hit a box or speed bump," according to police.
Dawn Dunkle, 51, was driving westbound in the 1400 block of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard in Clearwater when she mowed down Elbert Gilbert on Feb. 4, according to a Clearwater Police Department press release.
After striking Gilbert with her car, Dunkle allegedly fled the scene and ditched her 2024 red Mustang in the area. Police say the vehicle was located "a few days later" and eventually linked to Dunkle, who was taken into custody and charged on Friday.
"After hitting Gilbert, Dunkle did not call 911 or stop to render aid. She fled the scene, but parts of her car were left behind," according to the police press release. "Dunkle told others she thought she had hit a box or speed bump."
A GoFundMe launched by Gilbert's son describes him as a father with a "kind, gentle heart" who was "loved by everyone he met." The local nonprofit organization Hydrate the Homeless made a post about Gilbert's death saying, "We are all just devastated for this loss. He held a special place in all our hearts."
Founder Carla Morgan told local CBS affiliate WTSP, "We're going to miss him a lot. He always had a smile, sometimes a fun joke. I always looked forward to seeing him."
Describing what Dunkle allegedly did, Morgan said, "I think it would make all of us feel better that the person who did this is punished. They're going to have to live with this for the rest of their life. They're not going to be able to run away from it."
Dunkle was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving death and possession of a controlled substance after she was allegedly caught with alprazolam, commonly known by the brand name Xanax, court records show. She was being held on a $150,000 bond.