A Jones County Deputy used his investigative skills to locate and arrest a suspect in Thursday’s hit and run accident on Sun Valley Road.
Sgt. Travis Walker with the Jones County Sheriff’s Office stated in his report of the Sept. 4 arrest of Giovanni Nunez that he responded to an early morning call about the hit and run. The time of the accident was listed as 2:36 a.m.
Nunez, 36, was charged with DUI, hit and run – duty of driver to stop at or return to the scene of an accident, reckless driving and reckless conduct. Walker said while he was en route to the scene, he was informed the vehicle involved was possibly a Honda Pilot or black SUV. The sergeant said when he arrived, he recognized the victim of the hit and run and the witness as two individuals who were walking to the store earlier.
Walker said he and Deputy Daniel Langston had gotten out to check on the two men. The 19-year-old victim struck in the accident was lying in the ditch on his side with blood on his face.
The sergeant said he was complaining of pain all over his body.
The witness to the hit and run said the victim was knocked in the air and out of his shoe that was on the side of the road.
The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance.
Walker said he noticed a rear-view mirror from the passenger side of the vehicle involved and took pictures of a passenger side fog light at the scene. He said, after looking at the broken mirror, he noticed a Toyota symbol and part numbers.
The sergeant said he googled the part numbers and found out they belonged to a Toyota 4-Runner. A Flock camera search over the past 48 hours showed three 4-Runners, and he was able to check the addresses using the license plates.
One of the addresses was on John Michael Drive, which was near the accident scene.
Walker said he went to that location and found a black 4-Runner with the missing passenger mirror and passenger side damage. In addition to that, the driver, identified as Nunez, was still in the vehicle, passed out behind the wheel.
The deputy said there were several open containers of alcoholic beverages inside the vehicle, and the broken parts matched up to the damage on the 4-Runner.
Walker said he read the suspect’s Miranda rights, and Nunez told him he had been drinking at a friend’s house on Bass Road. He did not know how his vehicle was damaged and denied hitting anyone. The timing of the suspect’s drive home coincided with the time of the accident, and strands of hair matching the victim were visible on the side of the 4-Runner.
The deputy said Nunez told him he had been passed out in his vehicle for an hour, but he still stumbled when getting out and his speech was slurred. Walker said he instructed the suspect to sit on his push bumper so he would not fall down.
The sergeant said, based on his knowledge, training and experience, Nunez was intoxicated and unsafe to be operating a vehicle during the time of the accident.
