The man accused in a multi-vehicle hit-and-run that injured several people on Highway 80 last month appeared in court Tuesday afternoon. 

34-year-old John Richard was arrested April 2, by U.S. Marshalls after turning himself in after on the run for since the accident March 29.

Police say Richard and another man were responsible for a crash on Highway 80 on March 29. He was said to be driving a white Chevy truck when he hit a Nissan truck. The Nissan was thrown across the median, flipping and slamming into an SUV. Investigators say, Richard jumped out of his truck and fled the scene. Three people were injured and hundreds sat in backed up traffic for hours.

Richard is facing multiple charges including felony hit-and-run. Tuesday, Richard believed he would become a free man, but the Judge had different plans.

“You say well I should get out because my family is supporting me. Well, other people have families too and apparently, he didn’t care about them enough to stop… At this time, I am going to deny bond…,” Judge Steven Scheer says.

Richard’s bond was denied for the second time in a row. Judge Scheer says, Richard is a risk to the community, he has fled and eluded police, he is a two time convicted felon, and he has the potential to commit another felony before his next court date.

Richard’s Attorney Joey Turner says, “obviously we’re disappointed that he’s not out on bond. we would love that. But we did find out that there are a lot of holes here. We knew that. It was a bad wreck it was a lot of stuff involved. My client looks forward to getting the facts out.”

The holes, Attorney Joey Turner talked about are the missing evidence. Georgia State Trooper Josh Riddle, who is leading the investigation explained his process of collecting evidence. Turner challenged him by stating he was not the first to respond to the scene nor was he a witness or speak to witnesses.

He went on to say,  “this was obviously a bad accident but I think something that was probably a little overzealous on their part. I think they rushed to hold someone responsible. But the facts are going to prove that he’s mischarged here and he’s overcharged.”

According to Georgia State Patrol, the victims have been released from the hospital, but their recovery is continuing. The next step for Richard is to appear in superior court in front of a jury.