Police arrested a Plainview man with a checkered driving history Thursday in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident.

Joseph Kohler, 76, is accused of fleeing after fatally striking 77-year-old Gurcharan Singh with his car last week. Singh, a prominent religious scholar and law professor, was crossing Old Country Road after leaving Sikh Temple when the incident occurred Friday night. According to police, Kohler ran a red light before hitting the victim.

Police said Kohler has a history of illegal driving incidents. In Suffolk County, Kohler was charged with driving while impaired in 1986 and 1990, and driving while intoxicated in 1996. In Nassau County, Kohler was charged with leaving the scene of an accident on two occasions, once in 2001 and again last August.

Kohler's attorney said his client was coming from work and had not been drinking. He added Kohler might not have known he hit someone.

Nonetheless, Singh's children said they're left wondering why someone with Kohler's record was on the road at all.

After days of uncertainty, police said someone called in with a tip that led them to Kohler after seeing a media report on the case. Bail was set at $5,000 cash. The suspect's license has been suspended.