A suspected pot dealer accused of causing a fatal March 13 accident on South Grand Avenue was fleeing police, according to reports released by Springfield police. Devin Hogan, 26, fled from a parking lot at the intersection of Spring Street and South Grand before Officer Demetrius Suggs, who was pulling him over for running a stop sign, got out of his car. Suggs reported that he did not chase Hogan; concerned about the safety of pedestrians and motorists, he says that he followed with lights and siren turned off after Hogan turned east onto South Grand at high speed. His Dodge Charger became airborne at railroad tracks alongside South Third Street, about three blocks from the parking lot where he’d fled from Suggs, and struck a Buick sedan. David Sirtout, a passenger in the Buick, died; Hogan has been charged with reckless homicide, marijuana offenses, reckless driving, obstruction of justice and fleeing police. Hogan had warrants from Macon and Cass counties in connection with traffic offenses, eluding police and marijuana trafficking charges. Police say he had $4,480 in his pocket and stashed more than a pound of marijuana in a nearby trash can after the accident. A witness told police that she saw a squad car behind Hogan on South Grand, but a Springfield police supervisor wrote in his report that Suggs was not chasing: “Officer Suggs quickly turned off his emergency lights, paused briefly in the parking lot and did not pursue Hogan.”
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