A witness to the fatal hit-and-run Sunday reported the suspect directly pulled in front of the 24-year-old Weld County Sheriff's Office deputy's motorcycle and immediately fled by foot after the collision.
Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams on Monday identified deputy Alexis Hein-Nutz as the victim of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Weld County Road 37 and AA Street just north of Greeley.
The Colorado State Patrol identified the culprit of the fatal collision as 35-year-old Norberto Garcia-Gonzales. He fled the scene and remained at large until late Monday night when he was taken into custody about 10:15 p.m.
Garcia-Gonzales faces charges of careless driving resulting in death and leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
About 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Garcia-Gonzales was waiting at a stop sign in a white 2006 Ford Freestyle while heading west on AA Street. Meanwhile, Hein-Nutz approached the intersection southbound on Weld 37 on a red 2021 Kawasaki motorcycle.
Garcia-Gonzales pulled out in front of the motorcycle, which did not have a stop sign, causing the collision, according to arrest records. The front of Hein-Nutz's motorcycle hit the right side of the Ford, causing the motorcycle to redirect to the right, fall over and come to a rest a short distance west of the impact.
Responding medical personnel reported Hein-Nutz was declared dead at the scene.
A witness — a driver at the stop sign directly across from Garcia-Gonzales — saw the Ford driver pull directly out in front of Hein-Nutz, arrest records said. After the collision, she said a Hispanic man fled on foot to the northwest into a cornfield.
Inside Garcia-Gonzales' vehicle, law enforcement found an empty bottle of Bud Light, a broken can of Modelo and an unopened 12-pack of Modelo, according to records.
During the search for Garcia-Gonzales, a Kersey police officer responded to the Greeley address to which Garcia-Gonzales' car was registered. The resident did not know the suspect and confirmed the vehicle was not registered at the address, according to arrest records.
A sheriff's office deputy contacted the registered owner of the Ford, a woman, who indicated she let Garcia-Gonzales borrow her vehicle.
The woman said she often allowed Garcia-Gonzales and another man to use her vehicle to drive to work. The deputy talked to the other man, who said he had not seen Garcia-Gonzales since Friday.
The man could not supply an address for the suspect but confirmed the two worked at a Fort Collins landscaping company together, records said.
An employee at the landscaping company provided the deputy with a photocopied picture of the permanent resident card and social security card that Garcia-Gonzales used to gain employment. However, the deputy could not find a record of Garcia-Gonzales, who was using the name Octavio Gonzalez.
The sheriff's office later learned Garcia-Gonzales had a fake social security card, as well as a falsified Green Card, according to Reams' announcement Monday. The department confirmed his real name and date of birth through fingerprint verification and his real passport.
Deputies also discovered the Ford's registered owner was arrested in 2019, and Garcia-Gonzales was listed in the report because he was inside the vehicle at the time of her arrest. The 2019 arrest records provided deputies with a Greeley address — located near the crash scene.
When deputies responded to the address, residents confirmed Garcia-Gonzales lived in a basement room. After searching the home, deputies did not locate him.
One deputy remained on the scene outside of the house to watch for Garcia-Gonzales. An hour after the initial search, the deputy saw a light turn on in the basement room, according to arrest records. The deputy once again searched the home but did not find him inside.
Eventually, the sheriff's office's Strike Team, the CSP and Fort Collins police tracked Garcia-Gonzales to Fort Collins, according to a Monday tweet from the department.
Deputies took Garcia-Gonzales into custody using Hein-Nutz's handcuffs. At his Tuesday afternoon hearing, a judge increased his bond from $50,000 to $500,000.
Garcia-Gonzales' next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday in Weld District Court.
"Alexis was a hard worker, a caring deputy and a positive force for our agency," Reams said in a message Monday. "I share in my deputies' grief and in their anger over her senseless and tragic passing. But we are a family, and we will get through this painful event together."
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