Man’s Vehicle May Have Been Taken Before He was Fatally Struck in Roadway, Authorities Say
Authorities in Butte County have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a man who was fatally struck by a vehicle last month.
In a press release on June 13, the Sheriff’s Office announced that the victim had been identified as Jamie Gallegos, 26.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Gallegos was fatally struck by a vehicle while standing in the roadway at the intersection of Miners Ranch Road and Mount Ida Road on the evening of Tuesday, May 14.
The driver of the vehicle that struck Gallegos remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities.
The California Highway Patrol responded to take an accident report and, a short time later, Butte County sheriff’s deputies responded to begin a coroner investigation.
Over the course of that investigation, detectives reportedly developed probable cause to suspect that Gallegos’s vehicle had been taken without his permission prior to the fatal collision.
The county forensic pathologist is in the process of conducting an autopsy report.
In the mean time, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing details of the investigation into the disappearance of Gallegos’s vehicle.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, the Sheriff’s Office said.
