WASILLA — Wasilla Police will be forwarding charges to the District Attorney’s Office against the driver they say admitted to hitting a construction zone flagger early Wednesday morning.

Greg Wood, Wasilla’s deputy police chief, said felony assault, leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a suspended license charges will be forwarded for possible prosecution against Joshua Vialpando, 32, of Wasilla.

Wood said Vialpando admitted to hitting Wasilla resident Lacy McDaniel, 25, while the woman was conducting traffic near Lucas Road and the Parks Highway at about 1:15 a.m. Wednesday. McDaniel was part of a crew repaving the road in the area. She was carried about 200 feet before she fell off the car. She remained at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Thursday with multiple injuries, Wood said.

The driver of the car fled initially, despite efforts of a dump truck driver to impede his progress, Wood said. Police were summoned soon after and began their hunt for the vehicle. The dump truck driver gave them a partial plate number — FY or FJ and the numbers 66 — and officers made a list of cars to track down and check.

Wood said the correct plate number was on their list of those to check, but officers hadn’t gotten to it before a tip was called in to Alaska State Troopers at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The tipster pointed police to Vialpando. Wood said a Wasilla police sergeant went to Palmer to speak with Vialpando at his mother’s home. Vialpando told them the car was off Pittman Road at his sister’s house.

“There was damage to the front of the vehicle, to the hood, to the windshield, to the top of the vehicle,” Wood said.

Wood said that, as of Thursday afternoon, he didn’t know what Vialpando told officers happened.

“I did not do the interview. I can’t quote anything, I haven’t read the interview yet either,” Wood said. “I do know that he admitted that he was driving the vehicle when it struck the flagger.”

Wood said the road in the area where McDaniel was working is well-lit and police suspect alcohol was a factor in the collision. Wood said the case was able to reach a speedy resolution both because of the good work his officers did and because of the help they had in doing their jobs.