West Jordan man charged in 2009 hit-and-run death

SALT LAKE CITY — A West Jordan man was charged Friday with negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident after an October hit-and-run accident left another man with fatal injuries.

Police say Ronald Matthew Torres, 30, was driving south on Bangerter Highway just before 11 p.m. on Oct. 23 when he rear-ended a van stopped at a red light at an intersection near 4700 South.

When the driver of that vehicle, Milton Patterson, got out of his car to inspect the damage, Torres backed up, then drove forward, striking Patterson and running the red light, according to charges filed in 3rd District Court.

Police arrived to find Patterson unconscious with severe brain injuries, facial fractures and respiratory problems. He was taken to Intermountain Medical Center, where he died a week later, according to the charging documents.

Two hours after the accident, Torres called police to report that his vehicle had been stolen. When officers located the vehicle not far from Torres' apartment, they found no signs of forced entry but the car showed collision damage, the documents state.

He asserted that he was not the driver. Police found receipts and surveillance video that showed Torres buying rum from a liquor store earlier on the evening of Oct. 23, according to the charges.

Police said that when they confronted Torres about the evidence, he initially insisted his car was stolen, but eventually admitted to driving the vehicle on the night of the accident.

According to the charges, police believe Torres had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before the accident.

Court records show that Torres had pleaded guilty to two earlier DUI charges.

He faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a third-degree felony, negligent homicide, a class-A misdemeanor, driving with measurable controlled substance in his body, a class-B misdemeanor, as well as other misdemeanor charges.

e-mail: jsmith@desnews.com