Fresno County special district official accused of running over a man faces murder charge
A Fresno County special district official pleaded not guilty Tuesday to an allegation he used his SUV to run over and kill a man in Del Rey, an unincorporated community southwest of Sanger.
Rolando Sanchez, 54, is accused of hitting 48-year-old Jaime Loza of Del Rey with his Chevy Tahoe on March 16 at around 7 p.m. near the intersection of Carmel and Morro avenues. Sanchez is also accused of fleeing the scene, according to Fresno County Sheriff’s investigators.
Sanchez is a member of the board of the Del Rey Community Service District, which manages the community’s water supply. The board’s monthly meeting in March was held the same night and a block away from where Loza was run over.
Deputies found Loza on the road suffering from severe injuries. He was treated by EMS personnel and taken to Community Regional Medical Center where he died five days later.
Investigators were able to piece together what happened and were given a description of the vehicle. An SUV driven by Sanchez and matching the one believed to have been used to run over Loza was stopped by deputies near Bethel and Jefferson avenues about a mile east of Del Rey. Deputies inspected the Tahoe and found signs of damage. Sanchez was arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail on a charge of attempted murder.
The complaint against Sanchez was amended to murder after Loza’s death.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Elana Smith said Sanchez faces a maximum punishment of 86 years to life, if found guilty on all the charges.
Court records show Sanchez has a previous conviction for assault in 2002.
He was appointed by the county Board of Supervisors to the Del Rey board in December 2020 for a four-year term.
Sanchez returns to court on June 7 for a pre-preliminary hearing.
