A Newhall man was arrested in a hit-and-run case after deputies matched a license plate left at the scene with a plate found on a vehicle in Newhall.
On Saturday afternoon, deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to reports of a hit-and-run traffic collision at Newhall Avenue and 14th Street, Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station, wrote in a post on the sheriff’s Facebook page.
“They were able to track down the suspect fairly easy because the license plate of his vehicle came off and was left at the scene,” she wrote.
“When they went to the address on record, they found a vehicle with visible body damage that was missing a plate,” she added.
The plate that was still intact on the vehicle matched the one that was found, Miller wrote in the post.
Deputies allegedly found a man slumped over in the vehicle with the engine still running.
When they stirred the driver, they immediately noticed the strong smell of alcohol, Miller said.
The suspect, described by arresting deputies as 23 years old, blew a 0.14 blood/alcohol level in a preliminary alcohol screening test, according to sheriff’s officials.
Deputies arrested the Newhall man on charges of DUI, hit and run, and driving without a license.
The suspect was taken to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station jail, with bail set at $17,500.
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