Arkansas man pleads guilty to fleeing from crash that killed 62-year-old pedestrian

 Eulogio Martinez-Pacheco
Eulogio Martinez-Pacheco

A Batesville man pleaded guilty to fleeing from a crash that killed a pedestrian last year and then dismantling his vehicle.

Eulogio Martinez-Pacheco, 25, entered the guilty plea on Wednesday in Washington County Circuit Court and was sentenced to six years in prison with one year suspended, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Thursday. He faced charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and tampering with evidence.

The Springdale Police Department responded to the hit-and-run Nov. 3, 2016, on North Thompson Street at West Bailey Avenue.

Authorities said Martinez-Pacheco fled the scene in a 2000s Dodge Neon after hitting a pedestrian on the road. Cruz Gonzales of Springdale was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Springdale Police Department said detectives later traveled to Independence County after an anonymous tip that Martinez-Pacheco lived in the area.

Martinez-Pacheco was found at his workplace in Floral, a town about 24 miles south of Batesville, and he was questioned at the Independence County sheriff's office.

He admitted during questioning that he saw the victim run out in front of him as he traveled on Thompson Street, police said.

Martinez-Pacheco said he fled the scene and dismantled the vehicle at a home where he was staying in Springdale. Vehicle parts were then taken to a scrap metal yard in Batesville, he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

More headlines

Upcoming Events