Hearing set for Illinois truck driver who killed eight-year-old Destiny Chambers

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled Monday morning in Jasper County Circuit Court for a DeKalb, Illinois truck driver charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident in connection with the September 27 hit-and-run death of Destiny Chambers, 8, a third grader at Soaring Heights Elementary School in Joplin.

The probable cause statement says Lance T. Lee, 49, DeKalb, Illinois, hit Destiny P. Chambers, 8, at 6:55 a.m. and never stopped until he reached Strafford.

At first, Lee told the Highway Patrol he thought he hit a deer on I-44, but he changed his story, admitted being on Newman Road and said he thought he hit a mailbox.

Lee said he told his employer that he hit a deer because he could have been charged with hitting a mailbox.