LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A woman arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in Lakewood called in to report she had seen her car on the news as wanted in relation to the crash, an arrest affidavit says.
A dispatcher then asked Irene Martinez if she knew who was driving her vehicle at the time of the incident, and she responded, "it had to be me because I was the only one driving it."
Martinez was taken into custody at her sister's home in Aurora early on Sept. 30, just a few hours after the deadly crash near West Colfax Avenue and Kendall Street in Lakewood.
The victim, a 63-year-old woman, was crossing the street with her boyfriend at about 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 when she was struck, the affidavit says. A witness said he saw the man and the victim who was pushing a shopping cart attempting to cross the street.
He said he believed the man appeared to notice westbound traffic coming and stopped in the median. He reported that the woman continued crossing but "did not make it" before she was struck by a vehicle.
That witness was unable to provide information about the vehicle involved, however, a traffic camera near the intersection of West Colfax Avenue and Lamar Street showed a white older model sedan colliding with the victim, the affidavit says. The camera showed the vehicle continuing into a parking lot and through the lot and out of camera view. It was not seen returning to the scene.
Just after midnight on Sept. 30, Martinez called dispatch to report she had seen her vehicle on the news as being involved in a hit-and-run, the affidavit says. She said she was at her sister's home and in Aurora and the vehicle was with her there.
A Lakewood agent went to the home and contacted Martinez and several family members on the front porch. She was asked what happened and said she saw her car on the internet as being involved in a hit-and-run. When asked to explain further, she said she wanted a lawyer first, the document says.
She was then taken into custody and later released on a personal recognizance bond, court records show.
The agent then visually inspected her vehicle and found the following damage:
- Crack in front passenger side bumper
- Missing piece in front passenger side bumper
- Passenger side headlight smashed inward
- Medium dent in hood above passenger side headlight
- Glass spidering on the windshield near bottom passenger side corner
When asked to provide insurance information, Martinez provided a card that had expired on Sept. 20, the affidavit says.
She faces a charge of hit-and-run involving death and is due in court next on Oct. 7.
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