GREELEY, Colo. — A Weld County driver who pleaded guilty to fatally striking a Greeley bicyclist in a 2023 hit-and-run was sentenced to five years in prison.
On December 4, 2023, Michael Wallen was biking when he was struck by a vehicle in the 2300 block of 8th Avenue just after midnight. Wallen was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The driver did not stop after the crash and fled the scene. Investigators determined the suspect vehicle was a 2017 - 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Later that night, a defense attorney contacted Greeley police, saying their client's vehicle was involved in an accident and was at her home. Investigators went to the home of Ana Caren Romero and found a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee with front-end damage.
The vehicle matched surveillance video and eyewitness descriptions, and the damage matched the debris and paint transfer on Wallen's bicycle, according to the 19th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
“The defendant is here today because of the choices she made,” Deputy District Attorney Katherine Fitzgerald said in a statement. “She chose to drive away. She chose to not call 911. She chose to not render aid.”
In September 2024, Romero was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, a Class 3 felony. She pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide in February.
On Thursday, Romero was sentenced to five years in prison. The DA's office said the maximum sentence was six years in prison.
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