The man accused of killing a 9-year-old boy in a hit-and-run incident has a long history in area courtrooms, including several driving citations. Court records show Terry Petary, 41, Drakesville, was convicted of driving while suspended in 1996 and 1998 in Wapello County. He was convicted of driving while barred with a habitual offender enhancement in 2011. He received a two-year suspended prison sentence and two years’ probation in the latter case.
Petary now faces a charge of vehicular homicide in Davis County. Law enforcement said Monday he was driving the white Dodge pickup that struck two brothers walking along 180th Street. Merlin Beechy, 9, died. Nathan Beechy, 12, was taken by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Investigators found damage consistent with the collision in West Grove, about five miles southwest of the scene, and detained Petary.