Man arrested for hitting, killing traffic control worker on Highway 550 in Sandoval County
SANDOVAL COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico State Police arrested a man for hitting and killing a traffic control worker on Highway 550 in Sandoval County on Aug. 2, according to court documents.
Jerrold Patton, 65, is charged with knowingly leaving the scene of an accident (great bodily harm or death), operation of a vehicle on approach of emergency vehicle, and careless driving.
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Patton reportedly drove into a blocked-off northbound lane near the Apache Nugget Travel Center and Casino and hit Nathan Gonzales, who worked with Southwest Safety. A spokesperson for the traffic control company said Gonzales and the crew were about to reopen the lane when the crash happened.
Officers responded to the crash around 3:19 p.m. and reported that the right northbound lane was “appropriately signaled and marked” with approximately 300 feet of orange cones, barrels, and a truck with a lighted merging arrow.
According to court documents, Patton left the scene of the crash and was arrested about 45 miles away on the highway when an officer recognized a description of the vehicle involved in the incident.
The officer documented that blood was found on Patton’s vehicle and what appeared to be recent damage to the front passenger side.
Patton told the officer that he knew he hit something but believed it to be something that had fallen from a truck in front of him, court documents stated. Patton also allegedly said that he pulled over to check his car for damage but had no intention of reporting the crash.
During questioning, Patton later said that he remembered the traffic cones and driving around 72 miles per hour; however, he believed he fell asleep, per the statement of probable cause.
The NMSP officer also wrote in the court document that Patton did not show any signs of impairment.
Patton was booked into the Sandoval County Detention Center and was released on personal recognizance on Aug. 5. He is scheduled to have his first appearance in court on Aug. 26.
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