Judge J. Patrick Hanley sets bail for Jack Sabato in fatal Anchorage crash

Anchorage police arrested Jack Sabato, the son of Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen and actor Antonio Sabato Jr., on Monday on charges of leaving the scene after a pedestrian was killed in a crash.

Carl Simmonds, 42, was pronounced dead near the intersection of Airport Heights Drive and DeBarr Road. Police determined in their preliminary investigation that a vehicle had struck him and left the scene.

Sabato, 32, was behind the wheel of a white Chevrolet Tahoe when it struck Simmonds at about 5:35 a.m., charging documents allege, and he later called police to say he had hit an animal. He told officers he did not know he had struck a person and "hoped for the best."

Police said the charges against Sabato are leaving an accident scene without assisting the injured and leaving an accident scene resulting in injury or death. The Anchorage Daily News described both counts as felonies, but Alaska Public Media reported that one was a felony and the other a misdemeanor.

Simmonds was found on a sidewalk near the Blood Bank of Alaska, across Airport Heights Drive from Alaska Regional Hospital. On Monday, a relative posted a missing-person alert on Facebook saying Simmonds was last seen leaving the hospital around 5 a.m., the Daily News reported.

The charges say blood bank surveillance footage showed a white Tahoe strike Simmonds without braking either before or afterward. Among the broken vehicle pieces officers found on the ground was one marked "GM."

A search of vehicle records led police to a matching SUV registered to Sabato at a Mountain View address, according to the charges. Officers found the Tahoe at 12:45 p.m. at the South Anchorage Amazon delivery station where he worked. Fresh damage to its right front corner was consistent with a pedestrian strike, the charging document said.

Police secured a warrant before taking the vehicle.

At 2:46 p.m., Sabato phoned police after his girlfriend told him they had taken the Tahoe, Assistant District Attorney Malone Van Wieren wrote in a summary accompanying the charges. Sabato said he "knew the worst," according to the summary.

Sabato told officers that "something" appeared suddenly in the road and a headlight went out when it was struck. He said fear about not having insurance kept him from stopping, and he had intended to report the impact after work.

Sabato mostly stared ahead, looked down and spoke little during his Tuesday afternoon arraignment at the Anchorage Jail Courtroom. Anchorage District Court Judge J. Patrick Hanley provisionally granted his request for a public defender, pending a financial review.

Hanley set bail at $5,000 cash performance and $5,000 unsecured appearance. Prosecutors had sought $20,000 performance and appearance bonds.

Simmonds' parents attended by phone. They made no remarks.

Sabato remained at the Anchorage Correctional Complex as of Tuesday, online inmate records showed. It was not immediately known whether he has entered a plea or when he is next due in court.

Antonio Sabato Jr., who starred in "General Hospital," said in a statement to TMZ, "We all just found out the terrible news and our family is digesting this horrible news and asking for privacy in this devastating news. Thank you." The Daily Mail reported that he had not yet been able to speak with his son.

Police asked people with surveillance footage or other information who have not spoken with officers to call police dispatch at 3-1-1.