A vehicle belonging to a Colorado Mesa University student crashed into Orchard Avenue Apartments on Apr. 19 sometime between 3-4 a.m. and the driver fled on foot. The Grand Junction Police Department identified Izack J. Spierring-Maldonado as the owner of the vehicle.
Spierring-Maldonado admitted to driving the vehicle and faces five charges related to the incident.
According to a report filed by GJPD Corporal Church, a grey Nissan Infinity turned west onto Orchard Avenue from 12th Street. The driver failed to complete the turn and drove onto the sidewalk, through two steel handrails and hit the dormitory building at 1062 Orchard Ave.
The vehicle struck the building hard enough to deploy multiple airbags in the car.
The witness who reported the event to the GJPD said the driver was wearing a grey hoodie and might have been intoxicated. According to the witness, the driver slurred his words and kept asking, “Who hit my car?”
According to the report by Church, another witness thought the driver was intoxicated because of his balance and the way he was walking.
The driver had left the scene by the time GJPD arrived, but police discovered the vehicle was registered to Spierring-Maldonado, a resident of Rait Hall, 1115 Texas Avenue #320B. Through the CMU Access Technologies and Life Safety office, police discovered Spierring-Maldonado used his card to access Rait Hall approximately five minutes after the crash.
According to a report filed by GJPD Officer Soderquist, police went to Rait Hall to contact Spierring-Maldonado. Soderquist observed a jacket matching the witnesses’ description of the driver lying on the floor. Soderquist also noticed a bruise on Spierring-Maldonado’s forehead.
The report said Spierring-Maldonado initially told the police he was aware of the crash but did not know who was driving. When confronted about his description matching witness testimony, Spierring-Maldonado admitted to driving the vehicle.
According to Soderquist’s report, Spierring-Maldonado admitted to drinking two beers at a friend’s house prior to driving, but denied being drunk. He told the police he had been driving too fast as was his habit around corners and he “drifted.”
The police advised Spierring-Maldonado he would be issued a traffic summons for the crash. According to the case report summary, Spierring-Maldonado faces one count each of the following charges: hit and run for failure to remain at the scene of an accident with damage to a vehicle, left scene after striking property, failed to notify police of accident, careless driving and no insurance in possession.
