Arrest made in hit-and-run that killed JoCo power line worker, troopers say

SELMA, N.C. (WTVD) -- (UPDATE): An arrest was made Thursday in the deadly hit-and-run in Johnston County, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Ronald Thomas Mayo, 44, of Smithfield was charged with felony hit/run involving death. He is being held at the Johnston County Detention Center.

See latest here.

Below is a previous report.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is searching for the driver who caused an accident on Wednesday night that killed a power line worker.

It happened around 5:20 p.m. on Live Oak Church Road near Carmil Drive in Selma. According to NCSHP, repair technicians were working on power lines when the driver of a flatbed truck carrying a water tank disregarded a stop signal from traffic control personnel, who were halting traffic due to low-hanging wires.

The truck became entangled in one of the wires, causing a technician to fall to the ground. The worker did not survive and the driver of the truck left the scene.

State Highway Patrol identified the victim as 29-year-old James P. Rudzki, of Wendell.

Charles Dodge says they heard sirens and knew something was wrong.

"The police and ambulance started showing up. Fire trucks showed up and it continued for multiple hours, which we knew something was wrong," he said.

The driver left the scene. Investigators say the flatbed truck was carrying a water tank, similar to a septic tank truck. Dodge says he used to own a septic company and knows the type of truck investigators are looking for.

"Those trucks are very heavy. Hard to slow down," he said. "If you don't slow down before you get there, you won't have time to slow down."

Pike Electric confirmed to ABC11 News that Rudzki was an employee of their company.

A spokesperson released this statement to ABC11 News: "The incident yesterday in Selma is a tragic loss and our hearts go out to the employee's family and loved ones, as well to our employees - especially the co-workers on site and emergency personnel who responded. We extend our deepest condolences to everyone touched by the incident and our investigation into the root cause of this incident has already begun. Our Corporate Chaplains are being made available to our employees to help them process and deal with the loss."

NCSHP released these photos of the truck the person was driving:

Anyone with information regarding the suspect vehicle or its driver is urged to contact investigators at 919-733-3861.

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