Drunk driver charged in death of popular author hit by car in Gulfport, police say
A Mississippi Coast man has been arrested on a charge of aggravated DUI causing the death of a pedestrian, according to court records.
The victim in the June incident was popular Pittsburgh poet and author Jeffrey “Boosie” Bolden.
Vernon Lloyd Orange Jr., 27, of Gulfport, was arrested after a blood test confirmed he was legally drunk when he hit Bolden while he was walking along Three Rivers Road on June 19.
Bolden was hospitalized but died of his injuries on June 23. He was in Gulfport visiting family when he was it, according to his obituary.
Orange, court records say, attempted to render medical aid to Bolden after he was hit, but then Orange told police another car had struck the man.
After further investigation, police suspected Orange was involved in the accident.
Gulfport police went to Orange’s home and found a damaged Toyota Corolla. A woman there told police that Orange was driving the car when it hit Bolden.
Orange was arrested and jailed in Harrison County after the test results came in at the end of July.
He had his first court appearance Wednesday in the jail’s courtroom and waived a preliminary hearing. Justice Court Judge Nick Patano set his bond at $75,000. He will remained jailed on bond pending grand jury action.
Born Oct. 23, 1987 in San Diego, California, Bolden lived in New Orleans, McComb, Gulfport, Hawaii and other places before making his home in Pittsburgh. He moved back to Gulfport just before his death.
Before then, the popular lyricist had written several books, including “Book of Soul” featuring a collection of his poetry and short stories.
Bolden’s memoir and essay collection, “Wolves,” is set to be released in November.
“Wolves”, Tolsun Books says on its website, is a “mixtape of allegorical memoir, what (Bolden) called ‘literary raps’ from his time chasing dreams in Gulfport, Mississippi, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
“It is an African-American fantasy, a deeper look into the people America calls ‘thugs.’”
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 5:40 AM.
