GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The suspect in a deadly hit and run from March faces not only felony charges, but also deportation.
Court filings obtained by FOX 17 reveal Grand Rapids Police believe Luis Otanez-Castillo was the driver behind the wheel of the SUV that hit Roberto Delgado in the early morning hours of March 10.
According to a sworn affidavit, Otanez-Castillo faces deportation back to the Dominican Republic after a 2023 arrest.
Investigators established Otanez-Castillo as a suspect in the crash through several pieces of evidence.
Detectives used video recordings to backtrack the vehicle's path to a sports bar near Division Avenue and Meerse Street. Surveillance video showed a short, heavy-set man in a blue jacket drinking at the bar before jumping into the driver's seat of the SUV that hit Delgado just minutes later.
Investigators determined the SUV was going nearly 45 MPH when it hit Delgado and did not slow after the impact.
That vehicle was eventually tracked back to Otanez-Castillo's employer, a car detailing service in Wyoming. Investigators say the shop owner originally denied any knowledge of the suspect or the vehicle, but later his attorney revealed the owner was in the process of repairing the vehicle. The owner claimed Otanez-Castillo had dropped the car off on March 10 claiming he hit a deer and asked to have the damage fixed.
When officers were able to take possession of the SUV, the driver side headlight and windshield had been replaced, but the hood was still damaged. Detectives told the court the damage was consistent with hitting a pedestrian.
The business owner claims he didn't suspect the SUV was involved in a crime until he saw news reports with images of the vehicle involved.
Inside the SUV officers found a letter addressed to Otanez-Castillo from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement saying he was facing deportation. According to an immigration agent, Otanez-Castillo had been arrested in 2023 and was in the department's "Alternatives to Detention" program. Otanez-Castillo was given a cell phone to make regular check-ins with an immigration agent.
His last communication with them came in November 2023.
Otanez-Castillo now faces charges of Reckless Driving Causing Death and Failure to Stop at the Scene of a Deadly Crash. Both felonies carry a maximum of 15 years in prison. He remains at large.
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