Firebaugh woman arrested after fatally striking a pedestrian on Highway 180, CHP says
A Firebaugh woman was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run after fatally striking a woman who was walking on the shoulder of Highway 180, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The woman, who was driving a 2000 Toyota eastbound on Highway 180 east of North Piedra Road at around 2:30 a.m., was identified as Kenia Rodriguez. The 32-year-old woman was booked at the Fresno County Jail and faces felony DUI and hit-and-run charges, said Mike Salas, a spokesman with the CHP.
The victim was identified as 42-year-old Heather Martinez of Fresno.
“The driver of the Toyota drove away from the scene following the collision,” Salas said in an email. “A Fresno County Sheriff Office Deputy who was near the area monitored the radio traffic, and made a traffic stop on the Toyota a short distance away.”
CHP officers then responded to the location, where they arrested Rodriguez.
Investigators found evidence at the scene indicating Martinez had been in a car, but for an unknown reason, pulled to the right shoulder where she stopped her car. She then got out of her car and was walking within the shoulder and in the roadway when she was hit by the Toyota.
The investigation remains ongoing, Salas said.
This story was originally published June 28, 2020 at 11:53 AM.
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