Man arrested in fatal May high-speed hit-and-run crash

A suburban West Palm Beach man is facing criminal charges following a high-speed, hit-and-run crash that killed a 52-year-old pedestrian in May.

Authorities took Juan Luis Valladares into custody Aug. 22 after investigators alleged he struck and killed Ramon Alonso Castellon with his car on the night of May 21 near Forest Hill Boulevard and Military Trail in suburban West Palm Beach, then fled the scene.

Valladares, 26, faces charges that include vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash involving death, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said in arresting him.

A voluntary blood draw revealed that Valladares had blood alcohol levels of .108 and .107, making him legally impaired under Florida law, according to a PBSO arrest report. His vehicle's maximum speed near the time of the collision was 106 mph, investigators said.

PBSO: Driver, girlfriend fled scene, hid clothes, claimed car was stolen

Investigators also arrested Marina Mirabella, a woman identified as Valladares' girlfriend, for tampering with evidence after alleging that the 26-year-old conspired with him to hide the clothing that the two reportedly wore at the time of the crash.

Both reportedly abandoned the vehicle after the wreck and fled the scene on foot.

During an Aug. 23 hearing at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Donald Hafele set Valladares' bail at $153,000 and directed authorities to place him on in-house arrest with an ankle monitor upon his release.

Valladares remained in jail Aug. 31, records showed. Mirabella was released from custody Aug. 23 on $3,000 bond.

An attorney listed as Valladares' representative declined to comment. Mirabella was represented by a public defender. As a matter of policy, the Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office does not comment on active cases.

According to the arrest report, Valladares was speeding as he drove his 2023 Dodge Charger north on Military and ran the red light at Forest Hill just moments before the crash. His vehicle's maximum speed near the time of the collision was 106 mph, PBSO said.

Witnesses told investigators the Dodge's driver and a female passenger

exited the vehicle shortly after the crash and ran away.

PBSO: Stories changed when pair told of cameras near crash site

Valladares later called 911 to report that his vehicle had been stolen and summoned deputies to his home.

Deputies responding to the call found Valladares and Mirabella at the residence. They noted that both fit the descriptions of the persons seen fleeing the crash scene, and said it appeared that both had just showered and changed their clothes.

While being questioned, Valladares and Mirabella both reportedly told deputies the vehicle was stolen when they stopped to order takeout at a fast-food restaurant at Purdy Lane and Military Trail, near Greenacres. Both changed their stories after being told about surveillance video cameras at the business and along Military, PBSO said.

Valladares said he was driving home from the restaurant when a pedestrian on Military suddenly crossed in front of him, the report said.

He indicated that he was driving within the speed limit at the time of the collision. Both Valladares and Mirabella said they panicked after the crash and ran home.

The blood draw occurred after an investigator noticed signs of impairment while interviewing Valladares, the arrest report said. The legal threshold for intoxication to drive in Florida is 0.08.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham.

Help support our work: Subscribe today.