Man sentenced after fatal hit-and-run accident in Cherokee, Iowa

CHEROKEE, Iowa (KTIV) – A northwest Iowa man will spend nearly two years behind bars following a fatal hit-and-run crash in Cherokee, Iowa.

The incident began when police received a call on December 26, 2022, that a bicyclist was lying in the roadway at the intersection of N 6th Street and West Willow.

An investigation revealed that 30-year-old Casey Herwig was the one who struck the cyclist while driving a pickup truck. When authorities found Herwig's pickup truck, they reportedly found damage to the front of the vehicle that matched parts found at the scene of the accident.

According to court documents, Herwig told officers he knew he hit something, but he wasn't sure what it was. When officers asked if he might have hit a person, Herwig reportedly said it “might have been.”

According to court documents, Herwig was sentenced to five years in prison. Herwig had initially pleaded not guilty to hitting cyclist Phillip Watterson.

In July, Herwig changed his plea to guilty.

In addition to the prison sentence, there is a $1,025 fine and $50,000 in restitution to the victim's family. The state is seeking $150,000 in restitution, of which $100,000 was paid by Herwig's insurance.

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