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- An arrest warrant was issued for Erasmo Onofre Rodriguez of West Jordan.
- Rodriguez is charged with felonies for a fatal hit-and-run incident.
- Rodriguez allegedly fled, and his whereabouts are unknown.
WEST JORDAN — An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspected driver of a fatal hit-and-run crash in West Jordan who is feared to have fled the area.
Erasmo Onofre Rodriguez, 42, of West Jordan, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with leaving the scene of an accident involving death and obstruction of justice, third-degree felonies; obstruction, a class A misdemeanor; and failing to yield, an infraction.
On March 26, West Jordan police responded to a crash at Gardner Lane and Redwood Road. An SUV turning left turned into the path of an oncoming motorcycle, according to charging documents.
"The rider, Garrett Pace, hit the Yukon on the front passenger side and was ejected from the motorcycle. Pace, who was wearing a helmet and a backpack, proceeded to travel through the front passenger window, leaving part of his helmet and the straps from his backpack inside the vehicle," the charges state.
Garrett Randall Pace, 23, later died at a local hospital.
The 2002 GMC Yukon allegedly involved in the crash drove off. The next day, police received a tip that the vehicle was in a neighborhood in the area of 8600 South and 4000 West. Detectives searched the area and found the SUV.
"Detectives observed that the Yukon had extensive damage to the passenger side and passenger running board. The passenger side mirror was completely destroyed, and the front passenger window had been shattered. Glass from the window, a portion of a motorcycle helmet and two backstraps, matching the backpack Pace had been wearing, were located inside the vehicle," according to the charges.
Police also found documents inside the vehicle for Rodriguez and 46-year-old Sabino Lazaro-Javier, the registered owner of the SUV. Lazaro-Javier originally claimed his vehicle had been stolen about 30 minutes prior to the crash, police say. He later said his co-worker had been driving it.
"Sabino stated that Rodriguez instructed him to report the vehicle stolen. Sabino stated that when he saw Rodriguez he observed that he had injuries to his arms from where the glass exploded," the charges state.
Investigators say Rodriguez shut off his cellphone service on March 31.
"(He) has since terminated his cellphone plan and has fled jurisdiction. (His) family has not been cooperative with the police stating that they have no idea where he is, nor how to contact him. As (Rodriguez) is not originally from Utah there is concern that he will attempt to flee the United States to avoid prosecution," prosecutors state in their charges in seeking an arrest warrant.
Lazaro-Javier was arrested for investigation of two counts of obstruction of justice.
