Vado vehicular homicide suspect arrested in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES - A Vado man was arrested late Tuesday night on the 4000 block of Sonoma Ranch Blvd., after being charged with a vehicular homicide that occurred early last year.

Victor Gonzalez, 57, is charged with one count of vehicular homicide, failing to stop and render aid, tampering with evidence, reckless driving, driving with license suspended, driving without insurance, failing to give immediate notice of an accident, and failure to appear.

Gonzalez is being held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center without bond.

All charges except the failure to appear charge were filed in magistrate court on March 2 after a lengthy investigation into the incident.

Just after 2 p.m. May 14, 2020, the New Mexico State Police investigated the fatal hit-and-run crash at 10581 Las Alturas Street in Vado.

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Police say Guy Hanslin was riding a black 2012 Harley Davidson north on Las Alturas Street when the driver of a tan 1998 Chevrolet S-10 truck traveling south on Las Alturas turned left — striking the Harley Davidson head-on. The driver of the pickup truck fled the scene, police said.

Using K-9 officers, NMSP reports that investigators located the S-10 at a nearby residence in Mesquite, New Mexico, but those who lived in the home said it had recently been abandoned by the owner.

Following the crash, multiple people called the NMSP office to impart information about the crash to investigators. One woman told police she believed Gonzalez or his brother, Hector, was the vehicle's driver.

It was reported to police that on May 30 that Gonzalez attended a party and was bragging about being involved in the crash and getting away with it.

Investigators swabbed the inside of the S-10, DNA recovered matched Gonzalez, according to court records. They also swabbed the outside of the S-10 and found DNA matching Hanslin.

Hanslin was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator.

Bethany Freudenthal can be reached at bfreudenthal@lcsun-news.com, 575-541-5449 or @bethanyfreuden1 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Vado vehicular homicide suspect arrested in Las Cruces

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