Riverside County Man Pleads Not Guilty to Felony Hit-and-Run

A man accused of striking a teenager with his car in Indio last year, then fleeing the scene, pleaded not guilty on Halloween to a felony count of hit-and-run causing death.

Pedro Favares, 26, of Indio, was allegedly behind the wheel of a sedan that struck 16-year-old Louis Torres Arambula near the intersection of Avenue 43 and Calhoun Street. The boy was found around 6:45 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2017 by a passerby.

Favares was arrested in Palm Desert on Saturday, Oct. 27 and was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, according to county jail records.

A blue-green Ford Five Hundred appearing to match debris located at the crash scene was found at Favares' home, with a smashed windshield, missing side view mirror components, and damaged headlamp, as well as blood and hair fibers on the windshield frame, according to an arrest warrant declaration that alleges the defendant's driver's license was suspended at the time of the crash.

He allegedly told investigators that he left home to get food, then struck an unknown object while looking down at the car's stereo. He said that after inspecting the damage at home, he believed that he might have struck a road barrier, according to the declaration.

Favares is due back in court Nov. 9 for a felony settlement conference.

City News Service contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock