The Nation - News from Nov. 7, 1988

A West Palm Beach, Fla., man was charged in a hit-and-run death that was widely publicized when a lawyer refused to identify a client who claimed to be the driver of the car. William D. Morser, a Delray Beach restaurateur, surrendered at the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injury, a third-degree felony, said Jack Freese of the state attorney’s office. Morser was booked and released on his own recognizance in an agreement worked out between the state attorney’s office and Morser’s attorney, Barry Krischer. Mark Baltes, a 28-year-old electrician, died March 9, 1986, when he was struck and dragged 60 feet. The next day, the driver contacted Krischer and asked him to keep his identity secret and negotiate a plea arrangement, which collapsed. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Timothy Poulton on Oct. 13 upheld the attorney’s right to keep the name of the client secret.