HOLLAND, Michigan — After a 20-month investigation, detectives with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office have taken a man into custody for his alleged involvement in a fatal hit-and-run crash.
Police say Sebastian Abel Villarreal, who was 22 at the time, was the driver in a September 2019 hit-and-run crash that killed 41-year-old Melissa Yates. Investigators say a fight broke out between two sets of people in a Holland parking lot. During the fight, Yates was knocked to the ground and was hit with the front end of the vehicle, a 2016 Dodge Charger. Yates later died from her injuries.
At the time, Villarreal fled the scene and the area. Detectives gathered information that Villarreal had fled the country and a multiple count felony warrant was issued for his arrest.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives asked for assistance from the United States Marshall’s Service to locate the fugitive, and it was later discovered that he was in Mexico. The USMS, along with Mexican law enforcement, was able to locate Villarreal and he was extradited back to the United States.
Police say Villarreal was lodged in the Ottawa County Jail late Tuesday. He is now awaiting arraignment for the death of Yates. Villarreal is charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault resulting in death, as well as habitual offender third notice.
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