Man arrested in Cove hit-and-run
By
Denise Albiston
April 2, 2004 | A man suspected in a hit-and-run accident in Cove that sent three young girls to the Logan Regional Hospital was arrested by Cache County sheriff's deputies Tuesday around 3 a.m.
Jovencia Rojas-Flores, 20, of Fairview, Idaho, was booked into the Cache County Jail on three counts of child abuse, each a third-degree felony, and three counts of leaving the scene of an injury accident, a class A misdemeanor.
"We are very pleased to have been able to resolve this serious crime so quickly and start the process to bring the suspect to justice," said Cache County Sheriff Lynn Nelson.
Rojas-Floras is suspected of a hit-and-run accident Monday around 4 p.m. in Cove. Lt. David Bennett said a man fitting Rojas-Floras' description reportedly was driving west when he swerved to miss a small child riding a bicycle. He said the man driving the car apparently overcorrected, losing control of the car. He said the man then swerved to the opposite side of the street, across the front lawn of a residence and struck three young girls.
"From the witness statements that actually saw the accident and from a couple of witnesses that saw him leaving very fast down the road but didn't know why, we got a really good description of the car and the driver. Plus he left some parts that had broken off the car behind," said Bennett.
From the witness accounts and the parts left at the scene from the vehicle, Bennett said deputies were able to determine that the car suspected of hitting the young girls was a 1991-1995 silver Ford Taurus with Franklin County, Idaho license plates.
Bennett said with the assistance of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles, deputies were given a list of possible cars. He said deputies and detectives were able to systematically eliminate cars of that particular make and type until they found the suspected vehicle.
"Our detectives and patrol guys did a great job running down all those vehicles. They were able to narrow down every one of those cars on the list throughout the day, until we got to the car we were actually looking for," Bennett said.
Ashley Lenz, 10, Jessica Fielding, 8, and her 5-year-old sister, Jacilyn, were struck in the front lawn of a home at 560 E. Cannibal Road. The girls sustained minor injuries and were transported to Logan Regional Hospital.
According to recent reports from family members and friends, the girls are doing well. Lenz was released from the hospital Monday evening, while Jessica and Jacilyn Fielding were expected to be released Tuesday evening.
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