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Fresno PD: Hit And Run Cold Case Cracked

Kerry Klein/KVPR
surgeon William Dominic is back to biking to work at Community Regional Medical Center.

Fresno police say they have made an arrest in the case of a hit and run that seriously injured a prominent local doctor. It appears a police lapel video camera helped solve the case.

Dr. William Dominic was hit and badly injured while riding his bike back home from his job at Community Regional Medical Center in February.

The case went cold until a tip came in this week pointing toward 22-year old Brianna Sandoval, who had previously been stopped by a traffic cop for an unrelated reason in April.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says police video from that stop revealed a key piece of evidence.

“[It] clearly showed that there was damage to the top of that vehicle and there was an attempt to repair it through the use of Bondo. However, there was still damage as well as marks on the vehicle that are consistent with a bicycle being struck,” Dyer says.

Detectives arrested Sandoval yesterday and charged her with felony hit and run. The car has since been fully repaired.

Dyer says she confessed to drinking before the wreck and that she learned she had hit the doctor from media reports when it happened.

Sandoval faces up to four years in prison. However, due to the circumstances of the incident, Dyer says those charges could be enhanced.

Dr. Dominic recovered from his injuries but the bicycle has never been found.

Dyer says this is not the first time police body cameras have helped solve a case. He says video from the scene of a shooting helped secure a homicide conviction when the victim gave critical details shortly before dying.

Jeffrey Hess is a reporter and Morning Edition news host for Valley Public Radio. Jeffrey was born and raised in a small town in rural southeast Ohio. After graduating from Otterbein University in Columbus, Ohio with a communications degree, Jeffrey embarked on a radio career. After brief stops at stations in Ohio and Texas, and not so brief stops in Florida and Mississippi, Jeffrey and his new wife Shivon are happy to be part Valley Public Radio.
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