At a May 5 preliminary hearing regarding the hit-and-run death of a West Sacramento man, witnesses described what happened.
The hit and run occurred outside the Low Cost Liquor store on Sacramento Ave.
Michael Ray Anderson, 55, died last November after he was struck by a motor home driven by Joshua Neal Anthon, 31, a resident of Rio Linda, in front of the Low Cost Liquor Store in West Sacramento. Anthon is charged with murder with the enhancement of using a “dangerous or deadly weapon.” In this case that would be the motorhome. Pamela Nicole McKee, 33, was also arrested in the incident, but she was later released without charges.
Witness Ricky Andreas, Anderson’s nephew, was at the scene of the crime. He testified about events leading up to his uncle’s death. The store was near Andreas’s home. He, his uncle, and two cousins visited it three times the evening of November 7, 2013. The family group purchased sodas and alcohol during each visit.
Joshua Anthon of Rio Vista is a Disc Golf enthusiast. (Facebook)
The third time, they noticed the RV parked outside. By that time, Andreas said he was “buzzed.” He heard loud music emanating from the RV. On the way home, Andreas said a shirtless Anthon opened the motor home’s door and talked to them in an “upset” voice. Soon Andreas heard the door slam. The RV started. The tires screeched. Andreas looked back. The massive murder weapon hurtled toward them. “By the time I looked up,” he said. “It was too late.” His uncle was the only one of the group that was hit.
Anthon has a history of DUI arrests, but it is not clear if alcohol use by him contributed to the incident. The lengthy preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue today, May 12 in Yolo Superior Court, Department 4.
