Cypress, Texas (KTRK) — A 17-year-old boy was charged with a hit-and-run accident and went without arrest for nearly two months.
In an update Monday morning, Harris County Precinct 4 announced that 17-year-old Destin Quintero has been arrested and charged with failing to stop and provide assistance-accident resulting in death.
He turned himself in to the sheriff’s office over the weekend. Four said on Monday. He was released from prison on his $50,000 bond, according to court records.
Caleb Rickenbacher, 20, died during a hit-and-run, and his girlfriend Christina Diaz called these developments “bittersweet.”
“It was like connecting with someone instantly. You just bond instantly. It clicks right away,” Diaz said, reflecting on what she’d lost.
She and Rickenbacher dated for about a year, but investigators said Quintero was involved in a crime and almost head-on with a stolen car. Diaz said Caleb turned at the last moment and likely saved his life.
“It’s hard because the accident is in my head,” Diaz said. It still feels like yesterday and I hope one day I will be able to forgive him, because that’s what God wants, but not now. “
The suspect left his cell phone in the stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee before fleeing the scene, allowing investigators to track him down, a deputy said.
The accident occurred near the intersection of Cypress-Rosehill Road and Huffmeister on November 19, agents said. The driver hit a 20-year-old man while driving the wrong way in a stolen jeep.
Original report: Suspect caught on video fleeing stolen Jeep after fatal reverse crash, agent says
Data from the stolen Jeep showed it was traveling at 91 mph at 100 percent accelerator, court documents say. The driver reportedly had his seatbelt unfastened 0.10 seconds before the crash.
The Jeep was stolen from a Holiday Inn near the Grand Parkway and Holzworth Road in the Spring District the night before the crash, according to court documents. The Jeep owner said a handgun was also stolen from the vehicle.
See also: Family seeks justice after 20-year-old Cypress man was hit and run before Christmas
The suspect reportedly broke into several other cars in the parking lot that night. According to documents, he was also reportedly involved in at least six other vehicle robberies.
After the crash, witnesses reported seeing a black man in a black shirt with a black backpack fleeing the scene. He reportedly ripped out a brick wall in a nearby Sydney harbor subdivision. Surveillance video nearby showed the suspect running on a sidewalk with a backpack. 4 said.
On November 22, delegates were summoned to a street within the Sydney Harbor Subdivision after a resident found a black backpack floating in the water of the canal, according to court documents. Inside the backpack, investigators found a Chrysler/Jeep key fob, binoculars, a small hammer, a black flashlight, a black face mask, gloves, and other robbery paraphernalia. Deputies also reportedly found a handgun matching the one stolen from the Jeep.
Harman said investigators will collect a DNA sample while Quintero is in custody and use it to pursue full accountability.
“If we get the DNA and predict it will come back to him, we will charge him with murder,” said Herman, surrounded by Rickenback’s parents.
With tears in his eyes, Diaz hopes it will be enough to hold him.
“I don’t understand why they released someone like that. He’s been on the run for almost two months already,” she said. It doesn’t make sense that you might do the same thing to another family member.
She questioned how someone so young could be responsible for so much pain, and promised to show up as Caleb’s case unfolds.
“He risked his life so I could get mine, so that’s the least I can do,” Diaz said.
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