Update: suspect arrested; 44 y.o. Richard Romo. Suspect had a long list of dangerous driving problems, as well as other legal difficulties; previous DUI(s; multiple. aggravated DUI) suspended license (why wasn’t probation revoked last year when he was caught driving?); reckless driving. Much more as situation develops. The suspect, the victim, and the victim’s school are all within 1/2 mile or so of each other. This is in a neighborhood. Disgusting.
4/26/2022 2:45pm;
HIT AND RUN ALERT — suspect vehicle white full-sized Ford pickup; driver killed 13 year old boy on way home from Estrella Mountain Elementary school in a residential neighborhood near Elliot and Estrella Mountain Parkway, Goodyear.
Info alert from Goodyear PD.
GYPD seek info: A hit & run collision involving a bike occurred approx 2:45pm today area of 182nd Dr. and San Gabriel. Any info call 623-932-1220. Suspect vehicle: white full size Ford Pick Up truck, right front head light damage. Driver Hispanic male wearing L/S orange shirt.
News item:
13-year-old boy riding bicycle dead after hit-and-run in Goodyear
… GOODYEAR, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Police say a 13-year-old boy [Dylan Buensuceso] has died after a hit-and-run in Goodyear on Tuesday afternoon. The boy was riding his bike after school when he was hit in a neighborhood near Elliot Road and Cotton Lane just before 3 p.m…
List of Suspect’s PAST court cases
possibly incomplete. List available through AZ statewide case lookup; and Maricopa County Justice or Maricopa County Superior court dockets. Synopsis below unless otherwise noted are charges he was found or plead responsible/guilty to.
- CR-2005014501 Filing Date: 11/21/2005
drug paraphernalia. sentence: 18 months probation; suspended sentence. Felony 6 was changed to a misdemeanor by his petition in 2014. - CT-2007141790 Filing Date: 7/20/2007
Court: White Tank/Estrella Mnt Justice; traffic; no further info on case lookup. - TR2012-124462 File Date: 5/10/2012 Location: Agua Fria Justice Court
Case Type: Criminal Traffic Case Status: Adjudicated
28-1381A2 (M) DUI W/BAC OF .08 OR MORE - M-0741-5111453 2016, Phoenix municipal court. Filing Date: 11/4/2016
3RD DEGREE TRESPASS-REAL PROPERTY - CT-2017098780 Court: Ironwood Justice; Filing Date: 5/31/2017
traffic; no further info on case lookup. - JC2017-146055 Judge: Keegan, Miles
File Date: 10/9/2017 Location: Hassayampa Justice Court
13-1503A (M2) CRIMINAL TRESPASS 2ND DEG - TR2017-146577 Judge: Keegan, Miles
File Date: 10/10/2017 Location: Hassayampa Justice Court
Case Type: Criminal Traffic Case Status: Adjudicated
Dismissed on motion of prosecutor — 28-3473A (M) DRIVE W/LIC SUSP/REVOKE/CANC - TR-201703338; Goodyear Municipal Filing Date: 12/27/2017 ; DRIVE WITH LICENSE SUSPENDED/REVOKED/CANCELLED
- CM-2018000199 Court: Avondale Municipal Filing Date: 3/8/2018
CRIMINAL TRESPASS 2N DEG - CR-2018135293 Aggravated DUI Filing Date: 7/19/2018 ; minutes
sentencing order: 4 months incarceration begin 9/5/2019 then 3 years supervised probation (so probation ends Jan 2024); must surrender drivers license. - TR2018-160044 Judge: Cheuvront, Ken
File Date: 12/11/2018 Location: Encanto Justice Court
Case Type: Criminal Traffic Case Status: Adjudicated
28-3473A (M) DRIVE W/LIC SUSP/REVOKE/CANC; Dismissed on motion of court or defendant. - TR-20039394 Category: Criminal
Court: Tucson Municipal Court Filing Date: 9/22/2020 plead guilty to RECKLESS DRIVING ; other charges dropped (leaving scene; excessive speed, etc)(wasn’t he on probation at the time? - TR-20044225 Category: Criminal
Court: Tucson Municipal Court Filing Date: 10/26/2020
DRIVE WITH LICENSE SUSPENDED/REVOKED/CANCELLED 11/9/2020 (COMPL DISMISSED BY CTY ATTY)
DRIVE IN ONE LANE; UNSAFE LANE CHANGE - CM-2020001506 Category: Criminal
Court: Peoria Municipal Filing Date: 11/30/2020
DRUG PARAPHERNALIA-POSSESS/USE - CT2021-060874 Judge: Wismer, Craig
File Date: 4/13/2021 Location: Arrowhead Justice Court
Case Type: Civil Traffic Case Status: Adjudicated
RICHARD CARLOS ROMO 28-701A (T1) SPEED/REASONABLE AND PRUDENT
28-3151A (T1) NO VALID DRIVER LICENSE
(why not 28-3473. Driving on a suspended, revoked or canceled license; M1 ?)
so the salient question, i think, is why a convicted felon with a revoked license, on probation for committing a vehicle crime doesn’t get his probation revoked. Either for the reckless driving conviction in Tucson in 2020, or the no-license/speeding in 2021?? Reckless driving and no-license are criminal charges (not just traffic tickets) .
Does probation ever get revoked, see this driver who killed in hit-and-run and drove on probation and w/revoked license?
There are now notes on the agg dui conviction dated 5/6/2022 about hearing for probation revocation. Too little too late?
The Hit and run Case (#criminal)
History: superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/CriminalCourtCases Minutes: courtminutes.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov
Arizona Republic news item via yahoo news: does a poor job of explaining the sentence, saying he received the “maximum” sentence of 8.75 year. Doing some reverse-engineering, that must mean he was sentenced as “non-dangerous”, for a Felony class 3, in plea deal (as there was no trial). His lengthy criminal past is barely mentioned “Court documents state Romo had four previous DUI convictions…”. Hit and run drivers, and drivers in general, have a history of lying about the circumstances surrounding their misdeeds.
I can’t yet find the case minutes for this, his latest crime (CR2022115454 not sure why), but the real reason he is going to prison for a hit-and-run is his priors; the obvious answer that his probation is being revoked for a prior FELONY dui (case minute 5/11/2023).
See sentencing guidelines. He was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal that he did not cause (a F3). Despite the police investigation concluding the driver caused the crash, prosecutors chose to not charge him with causing the crash, that would be an F2. Neither did they charge him with manslaughter; indicating they did not believe they could prove he was impaired. (see comment below; Police investigation show driver at fault: Failure to yield; and speed too fast. Bicyclist no fault. These conclusions aren’t necessarily enough to prove to a reasonable doubt standard)
Once again — it pays to flee the scene. An impaired driver could be charged with Manslaughter, an F2. Given this driver’s horrendous past it would net at least 10.5 years (presumptive/dangerous) and more likely more towards the max of 21 years… and that’s not including any sentence enhancers for prior convictions. Note that hit-and-run drivers rarely go to prison, typically serving a few days in county jail for their supposedly serious crime; and many continue to drive during their probationary period, despite a mandatory 5-year license revocation for hit-and-run…
AND ounce again — the probation system has failed to keep the general public safe from criminal drivers.
This is one of the cases (this is another) whose case minutes don’t appear (none!) on the public-facing site for this case(why?). After repeated calls to the Court Clerk’s customer service without explanation, I journeyed to the Court’s Southeast Justice Center (somewhere in Mesa) on June 9, 2023 — once cleared through security, there the Clerk’s office has three public first-come-first-serve terminals where the info can be looked up and all the case minutes, an more, are available there. Documents can be printed for $.50/page — seems high, it’s all automated — or images can just be snapped. In any event, the full pre-sentence report is available there, in it the defendant states that “It was shown the accident was not his fault… and the defendant did some of the stuff that is required even though the police said otherwise”. The report states defendant has two prior (known) felonies, and 4 prior DUI convictions; the defendant states he has has last consumed any alcohol in 2020.
The 5/11/2023 sentence minute by Hon. Laura Giaquinto is 8.75 years “aggravated” imprisonment w/credit for about 1 year already served. That along with the mandatory driver license revoke (“ten years, not including any time that the person is incarcerated”) means Mr. Romo cannot have a license until sometime around 2040. Is anyone really checking?
according to this story, the was a 2010 juvenile Pedestrian fatality in “same location” ( at intersection of 182nd and San Gabriel drives https://goo.gl/maps/AXdUjVSfzNNeXpSs9 )
https://www.yourvalley.net/detail.html?sub_id=ae2b533069
“Nine-year-old JP Hassman was walking his bike across the street on his way to Estrella Mountain Elementary School when he was struck by a van and thrown 100 feet his father, Jerry Hassman, told The Independent… JP was rushed to Barrow Neurological Institute by helicopter. Unlike the tragic case on Tuesday, JP survived his injuries”
It is ADOT incident 2441324, 2010-08-24 07:16:00 (someone claimed “sun glare”; sunrise is 5:58; hmmm, seems unlikely)
Ped southbound/ motorist eastbound. Motorist is most-at-fault; however both units are “no improper action” (unlikely; or rather not possible); location is supposedly IN the intersection; it’s much more likely it was intersection-related, as in in the (unmarked) crosswalk); the nonmotorist location is listed as NOT_reported; the boy’s injury was listed as “not incapacitating injury” which is completely at odds with the reporting; it seems unlikely the crash was treated as a potential crime scene, which it should have been (28-672 ; running over someone in a crosswalk); all in all seems like shoddy report-filling-out.
ADOT incident=3901914
note, date in database seems wrong(?); news items came out contemporaneously on 4/26?
Police investigation show driver at fault: Failure to yield; and speed too fast
*************************** 1. row *************************** sF_Bicycle: 1 sF_Pedestrian: 0 sF_Motorist: 1 sF_OtherUnk: 0 sF_Motorcycle: 0 IncidentID: 3901914 Microfilm: 0 ADOTReceivedDate: 2022-05-12 00:00:00 Status: 200 DataConv2008Flag: 0 IncidentDate: 2022-04-27 IncidentDateTime: 2022-04-27 14:55:00 IncidentYear: 2022 IncidentMonth: 4 IncidentDayOfWeek: 4 IncidentHour: 14 OfficerNcic: 715 OfficerId: 0 FileNumber: 202200018449 ExtendedNcic: 715 DamageOverLimitFlag: 0 PhotosTakenFlag: 0 PhotographerName: PhotographerID: 0 PhotographerAgency: InvestigatedAtSceneFlag: 0 DateTimeInvestigated: NULL CollisionManner: OTHER_97 LightCondition: DAYLIGHT FirstHarmfulEvent: PEDALCYCLE FirstHarmfulLocation: BAD_VALUE_0 TotalUnits: 2 TotalMotorists: 1 TotalNonMotorists: 1 TotalInjuries: 0 TotalFatalities: 1 TotalMotoristsInjuries: 0 TotalNonMotoristsInjuries: 0 TotalMotoristsFatalities: 0 TotalNonMotoristsFatalities: 1 InjurySeverity: 5 MedicalTransportFlag: 0 FatalAccidentFlag: 1 TowAwayFlag: 0 NscReportable: BAD_VALUE_0 SchoolBusRelatedFlag: 0 WorkZoneRelatedFlag: 0 WorkersPresentFlag: 0 AlcoholInvolvementFlag: 0 DrugInvolvementFlag: 0 HazardousFlag: 0 HitAndRunFlag: 1 OnRoad: 182nd Dr CrossingFeature: San Gabriel Dr Offset: 0 OffsetMeasuredFlag: 0 OffsetUnit: 0 MPNum: 0 MPOffset: 0 CityId: 109 CountyId: 13 StateId: 3 StateCode: AZ CountryCode: Latitude: 33.3609709375193 Longitude: -112.441450665265 ValidLocationFlag: 1 LocationToolVersion: HESIntersectionFlag: 0 IntersectionFlag: 1 IntersectionRouteID: 0 IntersectionATISCode: TrafficWayType: TWO_WAY_DIVIDED_POSITIVE_MEDIAN_BARRIER IntersectionType: NOT_REPORTED_255 JunctionRelation: INTERSECTION_4_WAY Weather: PropertyDamageOwnerCode: PropertyDamageDescCode: 0 OffsetDirection: 0 SecondaryCrashFlag: 0 *************************** 1. row *************************** IncidentID: 3901914 UnitID: 7882589 UnitNumber: 1 PersonID: 11327254 PersonNumber: 1 PersonType: DRIVER ZipCode: 0 Age: 44 Sex: M SeatPosition: 11 SafetyDevice: UNKNOWN_99 Airbag: DEPLOYED_UNKNOWN_LOCATION InjuryStatus: NO_INJURY Ejection: NOT_APPLICABLE_0 Extraction: NOT_APPLICABLE_0 NonMotoristLocation: NOT_REPORTED_255 AlcoholUseFlag: 0 BACResult: 0 TestTypeA: NO_TEST_0 DrugUseFlag: 0 DrugType: BAD_VALUE_0 TestTypeD: 0 TransportSource: NOT_TRANSPORTED_0 TransportedTo: InjuryArea: 0 InjuryDesc: 0 Violation1: SPEED_TOO_FAST_FOR_CONDITIONS Violation2: FAILED_TO_YIELD_RIGHT_OF_WAY_103 *************************** 2. row *************************** IncidentID: 3901914 UnitID: 7882590 UnitNumber: 2 PersonID: 11327255 PersonNumber: 1 PersonType: PEDALCYCLIST ZipCode: 0 Age: 13 Sex: M SeatPosition: 255 SafetyDevice: NONE_USED Airbag: UNDEFINED_MINUS1 InjuryStatus: FATAL Ejection: NOT_APPLICABLE_0 Extraction: NOT_APPLICABLE_0 NonMotoristLocation: AT_INTERSECTION_UNMARKED_UNKNOWN_IF_MARKED AlcoholUseFlag: 0 BACResult: 0 TestTypeA: NO_TEST_0 DrugUseFlag: 0 DrugType: BAD_VALUE_0 TestTypeD: 0 TransportSource: NOT_TRANSPORTED_0 TransportedTo: ABRAZO WEST HOSPITAL / MARICOPA AMBULANC InjuryArea: 0 InjuryDesc: 0 Violation1: NO_IMPROPER_ACTION Violation2: NOT_APPLICABLE_0 *************************** 1. row *************************** IncidentID: 3901914 UnitID: 7882589 UnitNumber: 1 UnitType: DRIVER TravelDirection: WEST RoadAlignment: STRAIGHT RoadGrade: LEVEL Lane: LANE_1 UnitAction: GOING_STRAIGHT_AHEAD MostHarmfulEvent: BAD_VALUE_0 HitAndRunFlag: 1 RoadCondition1: UNKNOWN_99 RoadCondition2: NO_CONTRIBUTING_CIRCUMSTANCES EnvConditionDesc1: Unknown EnvConditionDesc2: VehicleStateCode: AZ RegYear: 1 BodyStyleDesc: Passenger Pu Pickup MakeDesc: Ford Ford ColorDesc: WHI_WHITE BusFlag: 0 GVWRFlag: 0 HazmatFlag: 0 PostedSpeed: 30 EstimatedSpeed: 0 DisabledFlag: 0 DamageArea: NONE_0 DefectDesc1: Unknown DefectDesc2: EventSequence1: PEDALCYCLE EventSequence2: BLANK_0 EventSequence3: BLANK_0 EventSequence4: BLANK_0 ControlType: NO_CONTROLS_0 SurfaceCondition1: DRY DistractedDriving: 99 eDistractedDriving: UNKNOWN_DISTRACTION_99 *************************** 2. row *************************** IncidentID: 3901914 UnitID: 7882590 UnitNumber: 2 UnitType: PEDALCYCLIST TravelDirection: NORTH RoadAlignment: STRAIGHT RoadGrade: LEVEL Lane: CROSSWALK_20 UnitAction: GOING_STRAIGHT_AHEAD MostHarmfulEvent: BAD_VALUE_0 HitAndRunFlag: 0 RoadCondition1: NO_CONTRIBUTING_CIRCUMSTANCES RoadCondition2: NO_CONTRIBUTING_CIRCUMSTANCES EnvConditionDesc1: No Contributing Circumstances EnvConditionDesc2: VehicleStateCode: NA RegYear: 0 BodyStyleDesc: Invalid MakeDesc: Invalid ColorDesc: BusFlag: 0 GVWRFlag: 0 HazmatFlag: 0 PostedSpeed: 0 EstimatedSpeed: 0 DisabledFlag: 0 DamageArea: NONE_0 DefectDesc1: DefectDesc2: EventSequence1: MOTOR_VEHICLE_IN_TRANSPORT EventSequence2: BLANK_0 EventSequence3: BLANK_0 EventSequence4: BLANK_0 ControlType: NO_CONTROLS_0 SurfaceCondition1: DRY DistractedDriving: 0 eDistractedDriving: NOT_DISTRACTED_0