Homeland man arrested in fatal hit and run that killed Hemet bicyclist, 62
HEMET, Calif., — Authorities say a man was arrested after leaving the scene of a fatal collision involving a bicyclist in an unincorporated area west of Hemet Thursday evening, Feb. 10.
Although the hit and run driver fled the scene of the accident, which happened on California Avenue south of Stetson Avenue, he was eventually tracked down to his Homeland residence with help from a witness and was taken into custody several hours after the collision, according to officials.
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California Highway Patrol officers and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, along with Cal Fire – Riverside and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the scene shortly before 7:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a hit and run, CHP Officer Juan Quintero later said of the incident and arrest.
When officials arrived, they found an adult male down in the roadway near a bicycle that was damaged beyond recognition. The downed bicyclist was found to have sustained major traumatic injuries and despite life-saving efforts he succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the scene.
CHP officers and Sheriff’s deputies work at the scene of a fatal hit and run involving a 62-year-old bicyclist who died at the scene Thursday evening. Eddie George/Laurie Cain – Hemet News photo
The Riverside County Sheriff – Coroner’s Officer has since identified Glen Hysom, 62, of Hemet, as the man killed in the hit and run. A Coroner’s release indicated he was pronounced deceased at 7:39 p.m.
While gathering vehicle and bicycle parts at the scene and searching for potential witnesses, investigating officials received a 911 call that pointed them in the direction of the suspect vehicle, a 2008 black GMC Acadia SUV.
Armed with the new information, at around 11:30 p.m. CHP officers located the GMC on a nearby rural ranch on Ocean Avenue and made contact with the driver, Carlos Arturo Acosta, 38, of Homeland.
Although officers ruled out alcohol or drug intoxication in the deadly collision, Acosta was determined to have been driving on a suspended license due to two prior DUI convictions, including one in San Bernardino in 2010 and another in Riverside County in 2015. He was also found to have a warrant related to the earlier DUI and he was arrested.
Acosta was subsequently booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of hit and run resulting in death and for driving on a suspended license. He was also booked on his DUI-related warrant.
Online jail records indicate he remains in custody in lieu of $75,000 bail or bond.
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Eddie George/Laurie Cain – Hemet News photos above, video below.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.