Arrest made in fatal hit-and-run

A man was arrested Tuesday on charges of fleeing the scene of a fatal hit and run accident that happened in Carson City.

The Justice Court of Carson Township issued a warrant for the arrest of 37-year-old Juan Pablo Rios on suspicion of failure to stop at the scene of an accident involving personal injury or death, a category B felony. Bail was set at $50,000.

Rios was book into the Carson City Jail at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. He was arrested in relation to a hit and run accident that led to the death of Gustovo Garcia-Valdes, 52.

At about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27, Carson City Fire/Paramedics responded to the intersection of Highway 50 East and Brown Street to a report a man had passed out. The victim later identified as Garcia-Valdes was found unconscious along side the roadway by a passer-by, who called 911.

Garcia-Valdes was ultimately transported to Renown Medical Center with an unknown cause of trauma. At about 8:20 p.m. that evening, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office received a tip Garcia-Valdes may have been the victim of an auto/pedestrian hit and run.

Sheriff’s Office detectives were able to determine Garcia-Valdes was walking on Brown Street, just off of Highway 50, when he was likely struck by a passing car at 25 miles an hour. The driver, Rios, apparently fled the area after the accident, but disclosed to other persons he may have struck a pedestrian. His disclosure prompted a call to the Sheriff’s Office.

Garcia-Valdes was pronounced dead at Renown Medical Center on Jan. 29 and over the weekend an autopsy was conducted by the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office. The results of the autopsy found that Garcia-Valdes suffered “blunt force trauma” to the head causing death.