Man who hit cyclists in Cary pleads guilty

RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A 35-year-old man who ran into a group of cyclists in Cary more than a year ago appeared in a Wake County courtroom Friday to enter a guilty plea in the case.

Christopher Moore, of Page Street, Morrisville, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony hit and run causing serious bodily injury and being a habitual felon.

Police said on October 17, 2016 around 6:30 p.m., a group of four cyclists were riding down High House Road towards the intersection with NW Maynard Road near Bond Park when an SUV headed in the same direction ran over two of them.

In a 911 call, a caller reported: "Someone drove by in a car and hit them and drove off."

"They're both lying on the ground," the man continued.

A second caller told a 911 operator that he lived in a neighborhood nearby and a man had just driven into his cul-de-sac with a bicycle stuck in his windshield.

"He took off and then he hit a mailbox," the man reported.

Virginia Davis, of Cary, and Laura "Lori" Cove, of Raleigh were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The other two cyclists were not hurt.

In court Friday, a prosecutor said Davis has been through seven surgeries and is still recovering.

Cove, who worked for the Town of Cary in the Transportation and Facilities Department, suffered a serious brain injury and remains in long-term care in a semi-conscious state.

Cove's coworker, Cary Director of Public Works Scott Hecht, spoke of what a wonderful person she is and asked the judge for the maximum sentence.

"You left them to die like they were a possum or a deer," he told Moore.

A records search shows that Moore has been arrested 18 times since 2007 in Wake County. The charges include three DWI convictions, assault on a female, and breaking and entering.

In court Friday, Moore's attorney said he suffers from emotional issues and is getting treatment in jail.

Speaking for himself, Moore said: "There is nothing I can say or do for what I done, but I am sorry for what I done. I deserve the punishment."

At sentencing, Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley detailed Moore's 18-year pattern of criminal conduct and listed all the ways he tried to cover up his involvement in the crash, including removing one of the bicycles from his windshield, taking the vehicle to a car wash, and trying to blame it on the previous owner of the car.

He also blasted Moore for leaving the women like animals on the side of the road before sentencing him to 15-19 years in a state prison.

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