Suspect in hit-run arrested

The suspect in the hit-and-run accident that critically injured a 9-year-old bicyclist in Coon Rapids was arrested Tuesday.

Nathan W. Boese, who was being held in Anoka County jail Tuesday night, is expected to appear in court Wednesday morning, according to his attorney, Steven Meshbesher. Boese, 32, was charged Tuesday with felony counts of criminal vehicular operation and leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

When authorities contacted Boese on Friday, he told them that he was out of town and that law enforcement would have to find him, according to court documents. But on Tuesday, before Boese's arrest, Meshbesher indicated that Boese planned to turn himself in and appear in Anoka County court on Wednesday morning.

The news was greeted cautiously by the family of Amir Taylor, whose condition has been upgraded to fair and who was transferred Tuesday to a health-care facility to continue his rehabilitation. The long-term effects of his injuries are still unknown, authorities said.

"There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but today we are one step closer to knowing what really happened," said Ravesha Harris, Amir's mother.

Records indicate that Boese has had convictions over 15 years for first-degree drug possession, drunken driving, burglary and underage drinking.

A violation report has been filed against him for failing to stay law-abiding and for failing the rules of his probation, authorities said.

The accident occurred at about 7 p.m. on June 13 as Amir was riding his bike near Moor Park while visiting his grandmother.

According to the complaint against Boese, a Chevy Z-71 pickup hit Amir at 111th Avenue and Kumquat Street and continued for one block. Witnesses yelled at the driver, who drove away.

A worker at an auto body shop in Minneapolis saw news coverage of the hit-and-run and told police that Boese had called a day after the crash, saying he needed work on his pickup right away and would pay cash.

When Boese arrived at the shop, the complaint said, he said he needed the driver's side mirror replaced and some work on the windshield. He also asked about repairing dents in the driver's door.

Police questioned Boese, who denied involvement in the incident. He said vandals had damaged his truck weeks earlier.

Authorities were also alerted to a surveillance video that allegedly showed Boese and the damaged truck on the night of the crash in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis, where his girlfriend works. The video showed Boese wiping the side of the truck that would have hit Amir.

Detectives also found clothing in Boese's home matching the description of what the driver was wearing the night of the accident, the complaint said.

Amir, who lives in Minneapolis, spent several days in intensive care at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale for treatment of a brain injury. He was transferred on Tuesday to Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul.