Cloverdale police still seek clues in February hit-run

When he left home to take a walk one night last winter, Kody Williams left behind a mystery, one that remains unsolved six months later.

Williams, 19, all but a stranger to Cloverdale, was alone when he was struck and fatally injured by a hit-and-run driver that February night. He died two days later without regaining consciousness.

Cloverdale police hope that reminding the public about the still-open case may spring loose a new lead, a clue about who it was who left Williams for dead on the side of Citrus Fair Drive.

The idea is "just to keep it fresh and out there, and people talking about it," police Officer Mike Campbell said.

A $15,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Williams, a recent graduate of Orland High School, was working in Cloverdale for his stepfather's construction company, based in Orland, near Chico.

Family members said he was saving money and deciding where to direct his life next. He was thinking of joining the Navy.

It was about 7:35 p.m. Feb. 19 when he left the motel where he, his stepfather, a brother and other crew members had checked in a day earlier and said he was going out for a walk. He only got a few blocks, police say, when someone struck him beneath the Highway 101 overpass, then drove away from the scene.

Police believe Williams was hit around 7:47 p.m., though Campbell wouldn't say how the time was pinpointed so closely. A Sonoma County Transit bus driver spotted him lying partly in the road a short time later.

Williams' mother, Kim Sandate, said the loss of her son is so profound that she doesn't obsess about finding the person who killed him. An arrest, she said, won't remove her pain.

But she wonders how he or she can get up each day, keeping the secret. "I couldn't imagine waking up in the morning and carrying on with my life," Sandate said. "I just wish that justice gets served."

Police have actively investigated the case ever since, following up leads brought forward by the public.

"We've gotten hundreds of tips," Campbell said, "and we're following up all of those, so it's a lot of tedious work."

Williams' tight-knit family -- he was one of seven siblings -- has created a Web site pleading for information in the case in an effort "to be part of the investigation and help out in a positive way," Campbell said.

Campbell said they've "been absolutely devastated" by Williams' death.

"I feel so helpless," Kim Sandate said. "That's what I struggle with. As a mom, you help your children, you protect your family. You keep them safe."

Police have offered no description of the suspect or the vehicle involved, beyond suggesting it might have had damage on the front passenger side in the aftermath of the collision.

They've asked anyone who saw a suspicious vehicle on Citrus Fair Drive between Asti Road and Cloverdale Boulevard around that time to call.

Campbell said he's waiting for a day "in the not too distant future" when he can announce an arrest.

But "make no mistake," he cautioned. "It's not an easy investigation."

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.