Prelim dates on track for man charged with hit-and-run death
Two scheduled preliminary hearing dates are on track for a 22-year- old Fairfield man charged with the murder and felony hitand-run in connection to the death of his toddler nephew in Februar y in Fairfield.
Judge Stephanie Grogan Jones set the court dates for Cirilo Martinez Tellez, who was scheduled Oct. 2 for legal proceedings in the case. She has ordered him to return to Department 5 at 10 a.m. Oct. 27 and 28 for the hearings in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
What happened
According to police and court records, at about 2 p.m. Feb. 23, Fairfield police and firefighters responded to reports of a collision in the 1400 block of West Texas Street. Upon arrival, officers found a 2-year- old boy that had been struck by a vehicle. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. The boy was not identified, but police revealed that Tellez was his uncle.
According to police, Tellez, who requires a Spanish- language interpreter during court proceedings, reportedly fled the collision moments afterward but left his vehicle at the scene. Police impounded the vehicle to search for evidence to help with the investigation. Based on witness statements and evidence collected at the scene, police determined that alcohol impairment allegedly played a role in the collision.
Police also said they recovered video surveillance footage that captured the direction in which Tellez fled. As the investigation proceeded, with enough evidence to indicate that a crime occurred, police used social media and community alerts to help locate Tellez, a previously convicted felon.
At 6 p. m., police said Tellez returned to the scene and was taken into custody. He was booked into Solano County Jail on an arrest warrant. Bail was set at $235,000. He remains in custody.
Where it stands
The Solano County District Attorney filed its complaint Feb. 25, the day Tellez appeared in court.
Police initially presented the case to the District Attorney’s office for review to consider additional charges of murder, violating his probation, and felony DUI resulting in death. Afterward, the DA’s Office upgraded a vehicular manslaughter charge to murder.