Suspect arrested in connection to January hit-and-run death in Edwards
Authorities arrested 24-year-old Sidney Whitmarsh in Arkansas
Authorities arrested Sidney Whitmarsh, 24, on Thursday in Clarendon, Arkansas, in connection to the fatal crash on U.S. Highway 6 in the early morning hours of Jan. 7 that killed Mario Vildozola Romero.
Romero was struck while traveling on U.S. Highway 6 between 12:30 and 2 a.m.
Whitmarsh faces the following charges in Eagle County:
- A class 3 felony for failure to remain at the scene of a crash resulting in death
- A class 6 felony for tampering with physical evidence
- A class 3 felony for vehicular homicide
- A class 2 misdemeanor for failure to notify the police of a traffic accident resulting in death
Romero worked at Drunken Goat and Mountain Fish House in Edwards. Investigators recovered evidence from the scene which led them to believe Romero was struck by a white 2010-2012 Subaru Legacy or Outback. The driver of the vehicle left the scene; Romero’s bicycle was not recovered and is believed to have been taken from the area.
Romero was discovered two days later down an embankment off the side of U.S. Highway 6 near milepost 165, according to investigators.
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A coworker who set up a GoFundMe page for Romero described him as a “valued member of our community, dear friend, father, grandfather, uncle and husband.”
