Racine County hit-and-run suspect pleads not guilty

RACINE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A man accused of hitting and killing a teenage bicyclist in Mount Pleasant and fleeing the scene will stand trial. 

Johnny Taylor, 71, waived his preliminary hearing and pled not guilty in court Wednesday morning. 

Taylor is charged with felony hit and run involving death. On the night of January 7, an off-duty officer was driving down Highway 32 when something caught his eye. He found 18-year-old Teren Cagle unconscious but breaking in a ditch. The complaint says Taylor hit him with his van but didn't stop to see if he was okay. Instead, he circled around and drove off, leaving the teen. 

Cagle eventually died of his injuries. The prosecution says Taylor tried to hide what he did by buying parts to fix his vehicle and made up a story that someone by the name of "Diane" was driving at the time. Taylor's son was in court today and says he empathizes with the victim's family. 

"I feel their pain. I mean it sucks that they believed their son was going to come that day, you know, and they will never see him again. I feel for that, I legitimately do. At the end of the day, looking at it realistically there's a strong possibility that my father will never come home. There's a lot of lives affected by this one decision," said Taylor's son. 

Taylor's bond has been set at $50,000. He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. His next court date is February 13.