Mission Viejo : Police Dispatcher Killed in Hit-Run Accident

A dispatcher for the Newport Beach Police Department was killed in Mission Viejo early Saturday when she was thrown from her pickup truck and then run over by a driver who fled.

Leah J. Clark, 36, of Irvine was killed about 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of La Paz Road and Chrisanta Drive, police said. She was driving west on La Paz, going downhill, when her truck went out of control as she approached a curve. The truck rolled over and collided with a brick planter.

Police said Clark was either thrown from the truck or climbed out. But she was then immediately struck and killed by another vehicle. The Newport Beach police said a witness saw a white car driving away. Police agencies were still searching for the hit-and-run driver late Saturday.

Clark, who was single, had been a dispatcher for the city police for 12 years. She was off duty at the time of the accident.

“She was well liked here,” said Newport Beach Police Lt. Doug Fletcher. “A dispatcher handles calls for both police and fire, and it can be a very trying job. She was good at it.”