Man accused in fatal Owatonna hit-and-run thought he hit deer, charges say
OWATONNA, Minn. — An officer's recall of a minor detail on a man's vehicle helped lead law enforcement to the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run in southern Minnesota, charges said.
That suspect, a 42-year-old Owatonna man, is charged with criminal vehicular homicide, court documents filed in Steele County on Friday said.
Law enforcement learned of the hit-and-run when a caller reported an unresponsive man in a ditch, as well as car parts in the area, on Wednesday morning. It happened on County Road 45 North in Owatonna.
The man died at the scene. Authorities identified him as 31-year-old Taylor Padilla-Ades of Lonsadale.
Officers at the scene found a red, plastic piece of a vehicle, and research revealed it fit a Chevrolet Silverado from between 2007 and 2013. The piece had small white zip ties on it, according to the complaint, and an officer at the scene recalled similar zip ties on a vehicle belonging to the 42-year-old Owatonna man.
Law enforcement went to the suspect's residence the day of the hit-and-run and saw a red Chevrolet Silverado with front-end damage, the complaint states. Authorities determined it was new damage, because they had had contact with the vehicle in the week before the hit-and-run.
While law enforcement was at the scene, the suspect called dispatch and spoke with a detective.
"Someone just called me and told me I hit someone this morning apparently," the suspect said, according to the complaint. "What happened, I guess — because I thought I hit a deer. This was 5 in the morning, who the f**k walks on the side of the road at 5 in the f**king morning on the frontage road?"
The suspect allegedly told authorities he "didn't see nothing until I heard the bang." He also said he pulled over and looked to see if he hit a deer, but didn't see "anybody" or "anything," according to the complaint.
The suspect is in custody.