Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Police arrest suspect in fatality
Nov. 3 accident in Springdale killed 62-year-old pedestrian
Springdale police said they have arrested a man in a fatal hit-and-run, months after the crash left a 62-yearold pedestrian dead.
Eulogio Martinez- Pacheco, 25, of Batesville faces charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, tampering with evidence and not having a driver’s license.
The Springdale Police Department responded to the hit-and-run Nov. 3 on North Thompson Street at West Bailey Avenue.
Authorities said the driver, Martinez- Pacheco, fled the scene in a Dodge Neon after hitting a pedestrian on the road. Cruz Gonzales of Springdale was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a preliminary report, the Springdale Police said detectives Friday traveled to Independence County after an anonymous tip 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 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.
Martinez- Pacheco was booked into the Washington County Detention Center and released Tuesday evening after posting a $10,000 bond.