Driver Charged After Fatal Hit-and-Run in Eagan
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 58-year-old man has been charged after he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Eagan early Saturday morning, then drove home.
Officers responded to the intersection of Cliff Road and Nicols Road around 2 a.m. on March 7 after a woman was found down and unconscious in the roadway.
Rolando O. Miranda Martinez, 58, of Eagan, has been charged with one felony count of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death in Dakota County District Court. He's currently in custody at the Dakota County Jail.
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According to the criminal complaint, a witness told police he and the victim, Leslie Ann Youngberg, 40, were walking northbound on Nicols Road and crossing Cliff Road when a vehicle traveling eastbound struck Youngberg. The witness was about 20 feet ahead of her at the time. The vehicle didn't stop and continued eastbound on Cliff Road.
Officers found Youngberg lying face down on Cliff Road, unresponsive. She was transported to Regions Hospital in Saint Paul, where she was pronounced dead.
Using car parts left at the scene and camera footage, officers tracked down a white Honda CRV with heavy front-end damage at Miranda Martinez's home around 11:15 a.m. that same morning.
While officers waited for backup, they saw Miranda Martinez grab a backpack from the vehicle and get into an Uber. Officers conducted a traffic stop and placed him under arrest, the court documents say.
In the back of the squad car, Miranda Martinez reportedly made spontaneous comments including "one person in the road" and "I forgot to tell them, and I forget the person. That's one person in the road. It's a lady."
Responders on scene of the fatal crash early Saturday morning. via MnDOT
In a post-Miranda interview, he admitted he was driving his white Honda CRV when he hit "something" on Cliff Road around 2 a.m. He told officers he was coming home from a bar in Minneapolis but denied he'd been drinking. Later in the interview, Miranda Martinez said a "thing" jumped out at him, breaking his windshield. He also said maybe "it" was drunk or homeless but that he didn't know. He told investigators he went home because he was scared.
PREVIOUSLY: Woman Killed in Eagan Hit-and-Run, Driver Arrested
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy. Officers obtained search warrants for Miranda Martinez's phone and a blood sample, and the Minnesota State Patrol conducted an accident reconstruction. All results remain pending.
Court records show Miranda Martinez has three prior DWI convictions — a misdemeanor DWI in Dakota County in 2012, a gross misdemeanor DWI in Hennepin County in 2016 and a third-degree gross misdemeanor DWI in Hennepin County in 2023.
If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000.
Officers responded to the intersection of Cliff Road and Nicols Road around 2 a.m. on March 7 after a woman was found down and unconscious in the roadway.