The Forrest County circuit clerk candidate who recently was arrested for a hit-and-run incident in Hattiesburg has now also been charged with first-degree murder after the victim of that incident died at a local hospital.
According to the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office’s website, 27-year-old David Breland had the charge added late last week, with a bond set at $100,000. Breland, who is running for the circuit clerk position in the upcoming August 8 primary election, had been previously charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death, disfigurement or mutilation, which also came with a $100,000 bond.
At 10 percent of the total bond amount of $200,000, it would cost Breland $20,000 to bond out of jail.
At approximately 6:45 a.m. on April 29, officers from the Hattiesburg Police Department responded to a report of a pedestrian that was struck by an unknown vehicle near the intersection of South 17th Avenue and Camp Street.
When officers arrived, they found a black male suffering from injuries on the side of the roadway. He was transported to a local hospital by AAA.
During the investigation, officers determined that Breland hit the victim at 10 p.m. April 28, meaning the man had been left on the side of the road for almost nine hours. Breland was taken into custody on May 5 and booked into the Forrest County Correctional Facility.
