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- Police in Layton have arrested Jesus Ismael Casillas, 30, in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that resulted in the death of Thomas Nelson, 41, on Oct. 16.
- After asking the public for help locating the van, police say they received a tip leading them to Casillas.
LAYTON — Police arrested a man Sunday who they say replaced the hood and other parts of a white van believed to be involved in the hit-and-run crash that killed a 41-year-old man Oct. 16.
Jesus Ismael Casillas, 30, was charged with obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony, after his arrest late Sunday and was booked into Davis County Jail early Monday, court records show.
A witness told police she was driving the night of Oct. 16 when she saw a white van driving toward a semitruck with a "driving pattern (that) appeared to be that of an impaired driver," charges say, "before swerving left away from the truck while accelerating."
Thomas Nelson had been crossing Main Street on foot at 1120 North at the same time and was hit by the van, "which forced his body onto the hood of the white van and then into the air before landing," according to the charges. The van did not stop, and the witness said she started CPR on Nelson, but he died at the scene.
Layton police released surveillance camera footage showing the suspected white van and called on the public to help find it, saying the van "sustained substantial front-end damage to the hood, grill and passenger side headlight."
An anonymous tipster told police Casillas owned the van, and the tipster had seen him "remove the front grill of his van and replace it with the grill of a similar van. He also removed the ladder from his vehicle," according to the charges.
The police booking affidavit said Casillas was able to use "his access at an auto repair business to replace the damaged parts." A search warrant was served on an unnamed repair shop, which "yielded the removed damaged parts," the affidavit says.
Officers also found a white hood with "damage that was consistent with the imprint of a body on it," according to the charges.
Casillas "admitted to knowing the vehicle had been in a crash and taking steps to cover it up," charges say, adding that "his fingerprints would be all over the new and damaged parts because he worked on them."
It is unclear whether police believe Casillas drove the van on the night in question, but charging documents say Casillas "is a suspect in an automobile homicide and fatal hit-and-run investigation."
"The investigation continues to try and identify who was driving the van, and where the van is located now," the Layton police said in a press release sent Tuesday.
Casillas is being held without bail at the Davis County Jail, with an initial appearance scheduled in 2nd District Court Friday in Farmington.
Correction: A previous version incorrectly said the van was found by investigators. A similar van was found by investigators with parts removed, which they suspect were used to repair the van involved in the accident.
