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Woman arrested in tragic pedestrian accident

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DAYTON – Following the gruesome discovery of a local man in a roadside ditch last week, investigators worked double time trying to find answers and bring justice for the victim and his family. 

The victim, identified as William Thomas Wegner, 41, was found by a passerby on the afternoon of Monday, July 17, south of Dayton on Texas 146. 

Now the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the investigation, charging Maricela Tinajera, 37, with Failure to Stop and Render Aid in an Accident Involving Death. The charge is a second-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 20 years.  

According to LCSO Capt. David Meyers, the victim, was hit on Friday, July 14, by what is described as a silver 2017-20 model Dodge Ram truck. During the investigation, a call came in on Wednesday, July 19, with a tip leading to the vehicle's whereabouts. 

“A male subject contacted the LCSO about a vehicle that had heavy damage in his neighborhood,” said Meyers. 

During the investigation, it was made public that a debris field near the accident included pieces of a door mirror, leading to the call to authorities. 

It was further revealed that the vehicle in question matched the Dodge they were looking for, and authorities initially visited the suspect's home in a subdivision off FM 1413. The truck was not located originally, so authorities posted up in the area, hoping to discover it. 

“We went, we set up on the truck and the vehicle arrived. We ended up identifying the driver, looked at the vehicle, all the damage on the vehicle matched, all the evidence that we had collected from the crash scene,” said Meyers. 

The driver acknowledged hitting something on Friday night but claimed it was at another location. 

“The female driver stated that she had a guardrail on 1413 and 99, and so she put herself in the vehicle driving the vehicle when it struck something, causing the damage to the truck,” said Meyers. 

A subsequent investigation of that area revealed no damage, and investigators seized the vehicle to continue the investigation, including pursuing a warrant. 

Authorities matched up the truck and identified DNA evidence connected to the victim. 

According to Meyers, they arrested the woman late last week at her place of work, where she works in the medical field, making the failure to render aid more gruesome. 

Meyers said the investigation is not over and there is more to do as authorities look into more information. 

“There is a chance she could face more charges,” he said. 

Some charges could include tampering with evidence, but others could come after the Liberty County District Attorney’s Office takes over the case.