Jatziel Pabon Encarnacion appears before Fond du Lac County court via Zoom, January 18, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – One count of hit and run involving great bodily harm was filed in connection with a crash where a motorist allegedly struck two people who had been thrown from their vehicle in a separate crash moments before.
Jatziel Pabon Encarnacion, 19, made an initial appearance Thursday in Fond du Lac County court. A preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 25.
A defense request to reduce the $250,000 cash bond was denied.
The charges are in connection with the Dec. 31 crash in Auburn. Taya Grimes was killed, and four others injured.
According to the criminal, a single-vehicle rollover crash happened on U.S. 45 near Sandy Road at about 1:30 a.m. At least four of the people were ejected from the vehicle, with two landing on the road. While other vehicles avoided the two, Pabon Encarnacion allegedly did not, striking the two. One was struck in the head, while the other, Taya Grimes, was lodged under the vehicle and dragged for several miles.
The charge filed Thursday relates to the victim who was struck in the head.
When District Attorney Eric Toney was asked, after court, if dragging a body, in this case Taya Grimes, was a crime he said, “As prosecutors we have to be able to prove our cases beyond a reasonable doubt and when you have injuries that may occur, you can’t prove when those injuries may have happened or if the evidence suggests they may have occurred before something that becomes difficult to try and tell a jury that they should find somebody guilty beyond a reasonable doubt based on those circumstances and so we have to follow the available evidence we have.”
Pabon Encarncion admitted to drinking at a party before the crash, along with those injured in the first crash.
“The defendant said that when he arrived at the party and began drinking, there were approximately 15-20 people in the garage. Everyone was drinking, and the defendant said he was drinking vodka and Twisted Tea. The defendant said he consumed less than one can of Twisted Tea mixed with vodka over the span of three hours. The defendant stated that an argument ensued between some people, and everyone began leaving after that. He stated that he was the last person to leave the party,” the complaint states.
“The defendant admitted that he traveled on HWY 45 and went through the crash site. The defendant said he struck an object in the road at the scene of the crash and described it as like going over a “speed bump” quickly. He stated that he thought the object rolled to the left side of his car. He said he never left the roadway. The defendant admitted that some of the damage to the Mazda was new and occurred that night after leaving the party,” the complaint states.
No charges related to the underage drinking have been filed.
Comments