Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010

Police seek community's help finding man

A 28-year-old Chowchilla man died Sunday, Jan. 31, from injuries sustained in a November accident. The driver of the vehicle is still at large and police are asking the community for help in locating Jose Jesus Garcia.

On Nov. 9, 2009, at about 11:23 p.m., officers with the Chowchilla Police Department were dispatched to the 100 block of Canal Drive regarding a report of a traffic accident where a vehicle drove into a residence.

When officers arrived on scene they found a male in the passenger seat of a 1993 Mazada MX6. The passenger sustained major injuries and was transported to the Fresno Regional Medical Center where he remained until his death last week.

The vehicle driven by Garcia was traveling north on Autumn Way at an undetermined speed. The driver failed to make the turn onto Canal Drive. The vehicle traveled through the front yard of a home on Canal hitting a car in the driveway, crashing through a garage door, colliding with a pickup in the garage, causing major damage to the one vehicle and minor damage to another vehicle in the garage. The accident took out a wall of the garage causing major damage to the structure.

Since the accident police have been looking for the driver of the vehicle, 39-year-old Jose Jesus Garcia who was last seen running from the vehicle after the accident.

The Chowchilla Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in locating Garcia. Sergeant Dave Riviere said that Garcia is wanted at this point for questioning.

Garcia has family in Chowchila and frequents Merced. He is a Hispanic male 5'9," 170 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Jose Garcia, they are encouraged to call Detective Charles Scott or Sergeant Dave Riviere at the Chowchilla Police Department at 665-8600 or call the anonymous tip line at 665-8624.