Driver with long criminal record is suspect in cyclist's hit-and-run death

Blake Nichols Grady allegedly hit the cyclist around 11:30 a.m. then hit the cruiser of a Durham County sheriff's deputy, injuring him. He tried to run from the scene but was captured, according to the sheriff's office.

Grady faces both county and state charges connected to the incident.

After hearing about his criminal history, the judge agreed Grady is a flight risk and a danger to the community and increased his bond to $1 million.

The assistant district attorney said Grady was impaired and driving without a license when he swerved off the road and hit the cyclist, Cheryl Rolla LaRobardier.

"He crashed into a bicyclist. Rather than stopping to render aid to her, as she was injured, he continued to drive. He fled from deputies with the sheriff's department," the prosecutor said.

Grady admitted to state troopers that he had taken heroin and marijuana before driving that day.

A friend told WRAL News that LaRobardier was retired, married and in her early 60s.

"Bicycling was one of her favorite pastimes and modes of exercise. She was very experienced, she understood the risks, and she always rode using nothing short of the best in safety equipment," the friend said.