Man arrested in hit-and-run that killed Jacksonville pastor sentenced

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – William Hodge was sentenced this week for the hit-and-run that killed Jacksonville pastor, Lindsay Brown. Hodge will spend 11-years in prison followed by 4-years probation.

Court records show Hodge pleaded guilty on April 7. According to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office records, Hodge had left the scene of the 2020 hit-and-run that resulted in the death of Brown.

Hodge, 26, turned himself in, March 2021.

Brown was a pastor at New Life Evangelistic Center. He died when he was struck a vehicle on Sept. 16, 2020, on Crystal Springs Road near Hammond Boulevard.

Brown had been with New Life Evangelistic Center for 13 years, but he overall had a ministry background that spanned three decades. Brown had a hand in all aspects of the church, serving in the youth ministry, marriage ministry, administration and finance department.