Police charge Lancaster city man in hit-and-run death of Ephrata resident struck on Vine St.
A witness told Lancaster city police he heard an engine accelerate sharply as a gold Chrysler pulled from a curb in the 200 block of West Vine Street late Sunday afternoon.
When the witness heard a "thump," he turned to see a man believed to be Andres Daniel Lopez get out of the car and walk around to see a man lying in the street. Lopez then left the mortally injured pedestrian and drove off, a criminal complaint against the 26-year-old man alleges.
The pedestrian, 77-year-old William "Pat" Moran of Ephrata, was taken to Lancaster General Hospital, where he died from his injuries the next day.
And Lopez on Thursday was taken to Lancaster County Prison, where he will await trial on charges of causing an accident involving death while not properly licensed, causing an accident involving death and driving on a suspended license.
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Cheryl Hartman on Thursday afternoon. Lopez must pay a full $200,000 bail to be released prior to trial.
Hartman set the bail amount after asking Lopez if he had been previously arrested. Lopez responded that he had been arrested for fraud but is not presently serving parole.
Lopez, of 123 Old Dorwart St., on Tuesday was seen driving a 2000 Chrysler 300 sedan that matched the one described by a witness to the accident, which occurred at 6:20 p.m. Sunday. The car also matched one seen on a Lancaster Community Safety Coalition video that captured images of the accident.
In those images, Officer Ben Bradley noticed that the car had an inoperable right brake light and a missing back left hubcap.
Late Tuesday morning, while on routine patrol, Officer Steven Wolpert spotted a car traveling south in the 200 block of South Prince Street which matched that description. After seeing that the brake light was broken, Wolpert pulled the car over on Conestoga Street.
When Wolpert approached the driver, identified as Lopez, the officer asked about the tail light. Lopez reportedly responded that he knew the front right bumper needed to be fixed, but that he didn't have the money to do so.
The damage to the bumper appeared fresh. It was sticking out and had minor scratches, a police affidavit states.
Lopez was nervous and was shaking, the officer observed. Believing it to be the car involved in the fatal accident, Wolpert called for an officer from the police Fatal Accident Team to join him at the traffic stop.
Sgt. Philip Berkheiser came, saw the car and asked Lopez to come to the police station for an interview. Berkheiser then asked Lopez if his was the car which police were seeking.
"Lopez hung his head and said it was," the affidavit states.
Lopez reportedly told police he accidentally struck the man but did not have a cellphone to call 911. He said he got scared and went home. During the interview, he said he had not spoken to anyone about the accident prior to that time.
State records indicate Lopez's driver's license was suspended in March and has not been restored.
The car has since been impounded by police as evidence.
In addition to the two felony charges involving Moran's death, Lopez was charged with driving with a suspended driver's license and leaving the scene of an accident, both summary offenses.
According to Assistant District Attorney Christine Wilson, Lopez faces a minimum of one year in prison for the felonies and a maximum of 14 years.
According to Moran's obituary, he was a native of Ballymena, Northern Ireland. He had been an Ephrata resident since 1964. A U.S. Army veteran, he retired from Ford New Holland in 1989.
Courtesy of Lancaster Newspapers, Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era
September 22, 2011
E-mail Bernard Harris: bharris@lnpnews.com |
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