Moses Lake man sentenced for hit-and-run from last year

QUINCY — A Moses Lake man was sentenced for his involvement in an injury accident in Quincy and fled the scene.

Bulmaro Rodriguez Jimenez, 35, of Moses Lake, pleaded guilty to hit-and-run. Grant County Superior Court Judge John Knodell followed a joint recommendation between Deputy Prosecutor Carole Highland and defense attorney Susan Oglebay and sentenced Rodriguez Jimenez to six months in jail.

On Dec. 6, 2015, the Quincy Police Department received a report of an accident on F Street Southeast, off Columbia Way. A QPD officer responded to the scene and found one of the two vehicles involved in the accident, a 2003 Nissan Sentra, which was reportedly missing its “whole back end,” according to police records.

The driver of the vehicle complained of pain in his right shoulder and stated he was having trouble breathing. He said he was on Columbia Way at the stop sign and claimed he,“looked both ways and saw no vehicles coming. I started turning left to head towards Ephrata and then this happened. I saw no headlights,” the man told police.

The back of the Sentra was found 25 yards off the road and had crashed through a fence. The second vehicle involved in the accident, a 2001 Ford Mustang, was located in the area as well but the driver, Rodriguez Jimenez, had fled the scene. Police were able find documents inside the Mustang that traced its ownership back to Rodriguez Jimenez.

Rodriguez Jimenez contacted a QPD officer later in the day and advised he had been in a collision earlier in the day. He claimed he was driving the Mustang and had fallen asleep. He said he walked away from the vehicle after he woke up and got lost.

“Rodriguez told me he fell asleep, woke up, tried to stop and then was in a collision. Rodriguez said he woke up and tried to walk to his friend’s house out on Martin Road,” wrote a officer. “I asked Rodriguez if he would be willing to come to the Quincy police station to fill out a written statement about the event and grab his tow frame.”

Rodriguez Jimenez stopped by the QPD station on Dec. 8 and filled out a statement.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.