Hit-and-run driver who killed Clovis school administrator changes plea to no contest

In a surprise move, a Fresno man accused of the hit-and-run killing of Clovis Unified school vice principal Gavin Gladding changed his plea to no contest Wednesday in Fresno Superior Court.

After his plea, Rogelio Alvarez Maravilla, 18, was taken into custody after Judge James Kelley ordered him held in the Fresno County Jail without bail until his sentencing on Nov. 26.

Alvarez Maravilla faces up to four years behind bars, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said.

Seeing Alvarez Maravilla being handcuffed in court brought tears and moans from his family and friends. Gladding’s family and friends remained silent throughout the proceedings.

Afterward, Fresno defense attorney Eddie Ruiz said it was always Alvarez Maravilla’s intent to accept responsibility.

Gladding, 43, a vice principal at Fort Washington Elementary School, was training for a marathon when he was struck by a pickup on the shoulder of Friant Road shortly before 6 a.m. Sept. 16.

Alvarez Maravilla was arrested five days later when he turned himself in.

On Oct. 5, Alvarez Maravilla pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of fleeing an accident and three misdemeanors: vehicular manslaughter, driving without a license and destroying evidence. On Wednesday, he pleaded no contest to all the charges.

The California Highway Patrol has said the defendant’s pickup broke its windshield and a side mirror after striking Gladding. When CHP officers recovered the truck from the his home near Easton, the pickup’s windshield and mirror had been replaced.

The CHP investigation also resulted in the arrest of Alvarez Maravilla’s friends, Fernanda Jakeline Lopez, 18, and Moises Antonio Valdez Guerrero, 23. A criminal complaint accuses them of felony accessory and a misdemeanor charge of destroying or concealing evidence.

Earlier Wednesday in another courtroom, Lopez and Guerrero pleaded not guilty to the two charges.

During the hearing, prosecutor Robert Romanacce informed Judge Michael Idiart that the new charges meant Guerrero had violated his probation for a drunken driving conviction in 2016. Idiart noted for the record Guerrero’s violation of probation, but allowed him and Lopez to remain free on $6,000 bail each until their next court hearing on Nov. 28.

Lopez and Guerrero each face up to three years in prison if convicted.

After Wednesday’s hearings, Gladding’s family and friends declined to talk to reporters.

Maria Estrada, a longtime family friend of the Alvarez Maravilla family, however, told reporters that Alvarez Maravilla is “a good boy” who goes to church and listens to his parents. She said his family is “super heartbroken” because Alvarez Maravilla was handcuffed in court and could go to prison. “They feel it is not justice for him because he is not a criminal,” Estrada said.

Most of all, Estrada said she didn’t want to minimize the Gladding family’s pain.

“This was tragedy all the way around,” Estrada said. “It was not just a tragedy for the Gladding family. It is also a tragedy for the Alvarez family.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2018 at 9:30 AM.