DOVER, Del.- State prosecutors are dropping a case against a former Dover councilman who was arrested in June after police said he struck an organizer of the Delaware Pride Parade with his truck.
The state Attorney General's office on Tuesday signed an agreement to abandon prosecution of Reuben Salters, 90, for third-degree vehicular assault and failure to obey a traffic control device. The charges were dropped on the condition that Salters pay restitution to the man whom police said he struck with his vehicle.
According to a copy of the agreement, Salters was required to pay the man, whose name was redacted by the Delaware Department of Justice, more than $1,000 to cover medical expenses.
The agreement said the parade organizer will also apply for Personal Injury Protection benefits within 60 days and that Salters will pay the cost of outstanding medical bills or lost wages not covered by his own auto insurance.
The agreement said charges could be re-filed should Salters not comply with the conditions outlined in the deal. The charges will not be re-filed once the conditions are completely met and all restitution is paid.
Dover Attorney Sean Lynn, a state representative who has been representing Salters and also signed the agreement with prosecutors, declined comment on Wednesday.
According to a June 1 news release, Dover police said Salters struck the parade organizer with his truck about 8:15 a.m. that morning in the area of West Street and Forest Street.
Cpl. Mark Hoffman wrote in the release that Salters "approached and disregarded the barrels that had the streets closed for the upcoming parade."
Hoffman said Salters then approached and then moved a series of cones that were blocking the street where a large crowd of parade goers and participants had gathered.
The release stated that Salters got back in a Ford Ranger he was driving and "proceeded to accelerate, striking the man, and causing injuries to his legs, knocking him to the ground."
Salters then proceeded to drive through a large crowd of gatherers until he stopped, according to the release.
Hoffman said the incident was not considered a hate crime but instead believed to have been sparked by road rage.
The agreement not to continue prosecuting the case said Salters, at his own expense, would be required to maintain automobile insurance for at least two years from June 1 at the current policy limits.
Salters must maintain that insurance coverage regardless of the outcome of an ongoing review by the Delaware Department of Motor Vehicles of his driving privileges, according to the agreement.
A spokesman for Delaware's Department of Transportation said he could could not comment on the status of Salters' driving privileges, citing a medical component to the case.
In addition to serving for more than 20 years on Dover City Council, Salters is a civil rights leader who founded the Inner City Cultural League and African American Festival in Dover.