Suspects charged in fatal hit-and-run

By Staff reports
Weekly Citizen
Mon Aug 31, 2009, 11:43 AM CDT


BATON ROUGE – Authorities arrested two Prairieville men after a fatal hit-and-run crash Sunday night in Ascension Parish.

The crash happened just after 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 61 and Hwy. 621, according to Louisiana State Police Tpr. Russell Graham.

A 2004 Dodge pickup was traveling north on U.S. 61, attempting to make a left turn onto Hwy. 621, when it turned into the path of an oncoming 1999 Chevrolet van, Graham said.

The van struck the pickup in the intersection and the driver and passenger of the pickup fled the scene immediately following the crash, Graham said.

The driver of the van, 55-year-old Hipolito Chgoya of Maurepas, sustained serious injuries and was transported to Baton Rouge General Hospital by Acadian Ambulance, according to Graham.

Two passengers in the van, 54-year-old Josa Antonio and 21-year-old Karla Martinez, both of Maurepas, were also injured and transported by ambulance to the hospital, Graham said.

Domingue Perez, 53, of Maurepas, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Ascension Parish Coroner’s Office, Graham said.

The suspected driver and passenger of the pickup were found in Gonzales a few hours after the crash, according to Graham.

Troopers arrested both 21-year-old Jose Tapia and 20-year-old Pablo Dalleso.

Tapia was charged with failure to yield on a left turn, three counts of negligent injuring, negligent homicide, felony hit and run and unlawfully operating a vehicle in the United States, Graham said.

Dalleso was charged with accessory after the fact to negligent homicide and accessory after the fact to three counts of negligent injuring, according to Graham.

Both were taken to the Ascension Parish Jail, where they also are being held on immigration violations, Graham said.

www.weeklycitizen.com