Little movement in fatal December hit-and-run case

Moses Sala, 28, is pictured with his father Talafili Sala. Moses was killed in a suspected hit-and-run accident Dec. 4, 2012, while trying to deliver medication to his father, who is paralyzed and needs medication at certain times. (Courtesy photo)

FAIRFIELD — It’s been more than a month and no charges have been filed in a case where a man was struck and killed while walking on Peabody Road.

Alex Perez Jr., 23, of Fairfield, was arrested Dec. 5, 2012, on suspicion of felony hit and run after police matched him to the 2012 Chevy truck that was left at the scene of the accident. He later bailed out of jail. No criminal charges have been filed.

An autopsy, toxicology and coroner’s report also have yet to be completed for Moses Sala, 28, of Fairfield, who died either late Dec. 4 or sometime Dec. 5.

According to Mary Nguyen, Solano County deputy district attorney, no case has been filed with her office by the California Highway Patrol. The CHP is the investigating agency because the accident occurred in a rural area not covered by either Vacaville or Fairfield police. Nguyen said she hopes to receive the report at any time.

CHP Officer Darren Carrington, the investigating officer, said his report and suggestion on what charges to file is complete. He said several superiors in the department have to sign off on it and the holiday season seemed to slow things down. Carrington said he hoped to have more information and to meet with the officials at District Attorney’s Office in coming days.

Solano County Deputy Jackson Harris, with the coroner’s office, said most of the reports are finished, but the office is still waiting on a doctor’s report before releasing information. Harris said the office doesn’t release information one document at a time and will wait until all parts of the report are completed.

Sala’s mother, Charmaine Killsright, said investigating officers and the District Attorney’s Office have kept her in the loop on how things are progressing. Killsright said that has been nice, but the waiting has been tough.

“This guy is walking around free and my son is gone,” she said. “We don’t know. We just go by what they tell us. We still are in limbo in what is going to take place next.”

The case involved three agencies in two cities and some details of the investigation are still unknown. Fairfield police were called by OnStar from a vehicle belonging to the uncle of Perez. The driver told the operator he wasn’t injured, but communication was cut off.

When Fairfield officers arrived at the dark and rainy late-night crash scene, they only found the truck. They searched the area, but never found Sala’s body.

After contacting the truck’s owner, Vacaville police contacted the uncle, where they found Perez at the home. He told officers he hit something, but wasn’t sure what it was, according to Carrington.

Fairfield police again searched the scene and found nothing. Sala’s body was spotted by a motorist early on Dec. 5. It was later reported that Sala’s body was found 30 feet from the road and between 400 to 500 feet from where the truck came to rest.

Perez was arrested later that morning.

Reach Danny Bernardini at 427-6935 or dbernardini@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dbernardinidr.

Danny Bernardini

Danny is a newspaper man born and raised in Vacaville. He attended Chico State University and has written for the Enterprise Record and the Reporter. Covers the City of Fairfield, education and crime. A's, Warriors and Saints fan. Listener of vinyl, frequent visitor to the East Bay. Registered "decline to state" voter. Loves a good steak.

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