ST. GEORGE — After more than a week on the run, the driver suspected in the hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian on Red Cliffs Drive in Washington City on April 6 was arrested by a fugitive strike force team in Salt Lake County.
Joe Emanuel Hernandez, 20, of West Valley, was arrested Thursday evening in Kearns following his arrest by the Violent Fugitive Strike Team, a task force overseen by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News that Hernandez was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on a no-bail warrant that was issued by the Washington County Attorney’s Office on April 13. The task force and US Marshals agents have been actively searching for Hernandez for more than a week using “several different investigative tactics,” Williams said.
The warrant was issued in connection with an incident that occurred April 6, when emergency dispatch received a call shortly before 10 p.m. reporting an injured man lying in the roadway near 1050 West and Red Cliffs Drive. Several motorists were rendering aid to the man when officers and emergency personnel arrived.
Responders reportedly began treating the injured man, but despite continued life-saving efforts, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams said the man sustained extensive trauma from the incident, as previously reported by St. George News.
On April 13, following an investigation that identified Hernandez as the suspected driver, the Salt Lake County Fugitive Task Force located the vehicle reportedly involved in the incident, a Toyota Rav4, parked in the backyard of Hernandez’s home in West Valley City. Agents returned to the location in West Valley to recover the vehicle; however, authorities were unable to take Hernandez into custody at that time.
At that point, Williams said, a no-bail warrant was issued for Hernandez’s arrest, and the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Force was deployed to conduct a search for him.
Over the next week or so, the agents continued following up on a number of leads until they received information that led them to the residence in Kearns.
Agents monitored the residence until they saw Hernandez exit the home. He was taken into custody without incident, authorities said, adding that during the arrest, agents smelled the odor of marijuana inside the home. Agents executed a search warrant of the residence and recovered a firearm and suspected marijuana, Williams said.
Should Hernandez waive extradition, Williams said arrangements will be made to return him to Washington County, where he faces multiple charges that include: negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor; failing to remain at the scene of an accident involving death and making a false insurance claim, third-degree felonies; and driving on a denied license, a class C misdemeanor.
The chief said they are working with authorities up north, and further details will be released as they become available.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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