WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A West Valley man is facing multiple charges after he fled the scene of a hit and run crash that left one man dead.
Jose Julian Flores, 21, was charged in Salt Lake County District court Friday. He faces a felony charge for failing to remain at the scene of an accident that caused the death of 39 year-old Joel Lewis.
As FOX 13 News previously reported, the accident occurred Nov. 15 just before 10:00 p.m. at the intersection of 7200 West 3245 South, where Lewis had been crossing the street.
According to court documents, on the day of the accident, witnesses told officers that Flores' vehicle slowed down "for a moment" prior to fleeing the scene.
On Nov. 17, West Valley Police received a call from a concerned citizen, who was prompted to come forward after seeing local news coverage of the accident.
The citizen stated that Flores had asked them to come help tow his girlfriend's truck from a residence in West Valley.
Once they arrived and were taken to the truck, they noticed front end damage to the vehicle. The citizen took a photo of the damage, prompting Flores to get upset and demand that they stop taking pictures.
The citizen described the vehicle as a blue, two-door 2001 Chevrolet Silverado with a white front fender on the driver side. They mentioned that the driver side mirror, windshield, and headlight were all damage, consistent with a description previously released by West Valley Police.
The citizen went on to tell police that he had contacted Flores, who stated that his girlfriend had been the one driving the truck that night and not him. Flores then said that the girlfriend dropped off the truck at West Valley address, and that someone had vandalized it further.
The citizen became suspicious and contacted a mutual friend to ask about the vehicle. Said friend told them that Flores and his girlfriend where trying to head to Mexico.
That same day, Flores himself called West Valley City Police, explaining that he was driving his girlfriend's truck that night on an errand, and that he fled the scene of the accident in a panic.
At the time of the call, Flores was in Oregon, but stated his intention to return to Utah to turn himself in.
Flores is currently being held without bail awaiting trial.
