Hit-and-run suspect waits for grand jury

PALMER — A Wasilla man accused of hitting a construction zone flagger last week made his first appearance in court Tuesday following his arrest Monday night.

In court, Joshua Vialpando, 32, at times hid his face behind a sheaf of papers, blocking the view of a television camera in the gallery as he answered questions from District Court Judge William Estelle.

At his first court appearance, Vialpando was not asked to enter a plea. If a grand jury chooses to indict him, his case, which includes felony charges of assault and leaving the scene of an accident, will move from Estelle’s courtroom into Superior Court and a plea will be entered,

Vialpando, in interviews with police, admitted to hitting 25-year-old Wasilla resident Lacy McDaniel early in the morning of Aug. 6 as she was working on a construction crew at the intersection of the Parks Highway and Lucus Road, Wasilla Deputy Police Chief Greg Wood said.

McDaniel was carried several hundred feet before she fell from the car. Other workers on the crew were unable to stop Vialpando from leaving the scene. McDaniel was severely injured in the crash. She was hospitalized at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, Wood said.

Police caught up to Vialpando after a tip called in to Alaska State Troopers the afternoon of Aug. 6 pointed to Vialpando, according to a WPD press release.

Officials waited to arrest him, Wood said, in order to have more time to conduct interviews and wrap up pieces of the investigation.

“Once you arrest somebody and they’re in custody, then you have 10 days to present all your evidence to a grand jury,” Wood said.

If the grand jury doesn’t chose to indict the person, Wood said police are back to square one. Wood said the department weighed the risk of waiting versus the benefits of taking their time.

“The suspect wasn’t going anywhere,” Wood said. “He’s been around a long time. … He’s never failed to appear in court.”