Suspect charged with felony hit and run

Daniel Juarez of Ramona, a suspect in a hit-and-run collision that killed Catherine Twigg, 60, in Ramona on Aug. 13, faces several charges in connection with the incident.

Arraigned in Superior Court in El Cajon on Aug. 16, the 25-year-old Juarez is charged with felony hit and run, misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and driving on a suspended license, also a misdemeanor. The maximum sentence for the crimes is five years, said Tanya Sierra, public affairs officer with the county district attorney’s office.

Booked into San Diego Central Jail after his arrest, Juarez was released from custody on Aug. 22 on a $50,000 bond, Sierra said in an email. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30.

The Aug. 13 collision occurred at about 8:45 p.m., when Twigg was walking in the traffic lanes of Highland Valley Road west of Handlebar Road, California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Travis Garrow said. At the same time, a 2000 black Lincoln Navigator was eastbound on Highland Valley Road east of Handlebar Road and struck the pedestrian, the CHP report stated.

Officers dispatched to the scene found the body of the woman who was the victim of an apparent hit-and-run. She suffered major injuries and died at the scene, Garrow said.

Several hours later, the Lincoln Navigator was found abandoned in the Albertsons parking lot at 1459 Main St.

“Follow-up was conducted and Mr. Juarez was taken into custody shortly after 3 a.m.,” Garrow said in his report.