Man accused of fatally running over child indicted

SLOAN, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man has been indicted on charges accusing him of killing a child and leaving the scene.

This past August, prosecutors say Kevin Mendola, 37, was in a vehicle on Lovejoy Street in Sloan when he put the vehicle in reverse and hit 10-year-old Michael Conklin. This happened near Griffith Park around 5 p.m.

At the time, Conklin was standing next to his bicycle. After the boy was struck, prosecutors say Mendola put the vehicle in drive, and then ran over Conklin again.

Mendola, who didn’t have a valid driver’s license, then left the scene without reporting what happened, prosecutors say. He was found nearby shortly after this.

Conklin was taken to Oishei Children’s Hospital, where he later died as a result of his injuries.

MORE | Family of 10-year-old boy hit and killed in Sloan: ‘There is nothing in this world that will ever replace him’

Mendola, who was indicted on charges of criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death and aggravated unlicensed operation, faces up to seven years in prison.

He’s currently in custody without bail and will be back in court for a pre-trial conference on October 29.