Woodland police have arrested a man, his girlfriend and her father in connection with a Nov. 12 hit-and-run collision that killed a man who was walking his dog early that morning.
Richard Louis Tafoya, 65, died at the scene of the 3:30 a.m. collision on Mariposa Street and Utah Avenue.
Sgt. Brett Hancock announced the three arrests this morning, giving the following account of the investigation:
On Nov. 17, the Woodland Police Department received a phone call from Kergel Auto Body Shop on Kentucky Avenue, stating that they had a black Dodge pickup truck that matched the description of the suspect vehicle from the original press release. Officers responded and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and moved it to the Police Department for examination. Officers then determined that a broken part from the vehicle that was left at the crime scene matched the truck.
During the investigation, officers learned that the vehicle was driven by Raymond Contreras, 34, of Woodland. They also learned that Contreras’ girlfriend and registered owner of the vehicle in the collision was the passenger. She was identified as Norma Gentry, 23, also of Woodland.
Gentry and Contreras made up a story that he hit a tire and damaged her truck. Gentry then told this story to her father. Gentry’s father, identified as Roberto Sanchez, 50, of Woodland, then made a false insurance claim stating that he was actually driving the truck and hit a milk crate, causing the damage to the truck on Nov. 13.
Sanchez was covering for Gentry, who had a suspended driver’s license, and did not think his insurance would cover a claim if Contreras was found to be the driver, police said. Gentry then took the truck to Kergel Auto Body Shop to be repaired. Contreras was willing to pay for the damages to the truck.
At about 7:30 a.m. Monday, Gentry was arrested in an unrelated case involving driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs while on a suspended driver’s license. She then was arrested on additional charges of filing a false insurance report, conspiracy, concealing or destruction of evidence, and accessory to hit and run resulting in death. She was booked into Yolo County Jail, with bail set at $25,000.
A few hours later, Sanchez was taken into custody at the Woodland Police Department for filing a false insurance report, conspiracy, concealing or destruction of evidence, and accessory to hit and run resulting in death. He was booked into Yolo County Jail, with bail set at $20,000.
Contreras turned himself in at the Woodland Police Department about 8 a.m. Tuesday. He was charged with hit and run resulting in death, vehicle manslaughter, conspiracy, and concealing and or destroying evidence. He was booked into Yolo County Jail, with bail set at $100,000.
All three had posted bail as of early this afternoon and were no longer in custody.
The Woodland Police Department encourages anyone with additional information relating to this investigation to call the Police Department at 530-666-2411.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurenKeene