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Michael Hoeft, 53, of Gulf Shores, was riding this recumbent bicycle when it was hit from behind Feb. 21, 2012, in Gulf Shores. Hoeft died the following day. (Thyrie Bland | tbland@al.com)

A Foley man accused in the 2012 death of a bicyclist was found guilty today of a misdemeanor charge of criminally negligent homicide.

Melvin Dennis Hutcheson, 54, was not found guilty of a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury or death.

Hutcheson was on trial all of last week in connection with a wreck that claimed the life of Michael Hoeft, 53, of Gulf Shores.

Hutcheson

Hutcheson is set to be sentenced at 9 a.m. March 27. He is facing up to a year in jail as a result of his conviction on the misdemeanor charge.

A conviction on the leaving the scene change carries a punishment of up to 10 years.

Hutcheson's bond was revoked as a result of the misdemeanor conviction. He was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Center.

Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney Teresa Heinz said she was not sure why the jury did not find Hutcheson guilty of leaving the scene of an accident.

She said the jurors did not wish to speak to anyone after the trial.

"They are not allowed to know which one is the felony and which is the misdemeanor, so I don't know if that played into it," she said.

Hutcheson was driving a Ford Explorer west on Baldwin County Road 4 in Gulf Shores at about 6 p.m. Feb. 21, 2012, when it hit the back of the recumbent bicycle that Hoeft was riding on the road. The SUV did not stop.

Recumbent bicycles are low to the ground and are ridden in a reclining position with pedals that are raised above the level of traditional-style cycles.

Hoeft died the day after the wreck at a hospital in Pensacola, Fla.

The portion of the road where the wreck happened does not have a bicycle lane.

Police did not find any skid marks in the area of the road where the wreck happened.

Hutcheson testified during the trial that he thought he had hit an animal the evening of the wreck. He also apologized to Hoeft's family.

A passerby found Hoeft on the side of the road after one of the two dogs he had with him ran into the road. The passerby called 911.

Heinz said Hoeft's wife, Carol, was disappointed that the jury did not find Hutcheson guilty of leaving the scene of an accident.

"While she was disappointed, she recognizes that he is being held responsible for (her husband's) death," Heinz said.

Hutcheson's trial began Feb. 3. The jury started deliberating Friday afternoon.

The jury deliberated for nearly two hours Friday before being sent home.

The jurors returned to court this morning. The verdicts were announced this afternoon.

Hutcheson was relieved the jury acquitted him of the felony, said John Beck, Hutcheson's attorney.

Beck said Hutcheson's emotions were tempered by the fact that his bond was revoked, and he had to be booked into jail. Beck has asked a judge to set a bond.

Beck said it is difficult to know what the jurors were thinking, but he thinks they found it difficult to hold Hutcheson accountable for not seeing someone on the road.

"The statute does not require that you stop if you hit something," Beck said. "You have to know that you hit a human being, and you left the scene knowingly. Mr. Hutcheson is just not that kind of guy."