Gilroy – The driver who killed Sean Merriman has evaded arrest
for more than six months and is wanted by the California Highway
Patrol, deputy district attorneys said Wednesday.
Gilroy – The driver who killed Sean Merriman has evaded arrest for more than six months and is wanted by the California Highway Patrol, deputy district attorneys said Wednesday.
Wednesday marked a year since the death of Sean Merriman, a 32-year-old Gilroy man and former city employee, engaged to be married to Maggie Moreno. Merriman was repairing potholes between two Caltrans trucks on U.S. 101 when tow-truck driver Louis Estrada Vasquez crashed into the work site, crushing Merriman between the two trucks.
In September, the district attorney’s office charged Vasquez with vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, and speeding, and a $10,000 warrant was issued for his arrest. The case was assigned to the DA’s misdemeanor team, led by supervising deputy district attorney Michael Fletcher. Because the accident occurred on U.S. 101, the California Highway Patrol is the investigating agency.
As of press time Wednesday, Vasquez had not been arrested for the crime.
CHP spokesman Chris Armstrong could not be reached Wednesday to comment on Vasquez’ warrant and the CHP’s investigation, or to provide a photo.
Sean Merriman’s parents, Craig and Jacqui, left town Tuesday night to mourn their son on the anniversary of his death, said family friend Kat Teraji, and were also unavailable.
The Merrimans have filed a civil suit against Vasquez and his then-employer, Ponzini’s Community Garage of Morgan Hill, charging negligence. Garage owner Gary Ponzini has repeatedly declined to comment, saying he knows nothing about the incident.
In September, Vasquez filed a civil cross-complaint against Caltrans, claiming that the government agency was responsible for the crash; his attorney, Eugene West, dropped the complaint a few weeks later, without comment.
The Merrimans’ attorney, Robert Bohn Jr., discovered in February that Vasquez’ criminal records are riddled with drug convictions, including a 90-day sentence for transporting and distributing drugs: a misdemeanor according to the Merced County district attorney’s office.
The convictions reflect poorly on Ponzini’s Community Garage, which hired Vasquez as a driver, Bohn said.
“If you hire someone with this kind of drug history,” Bohn said, “you’re really putting a danger on the roadway.”
Vasquez is not charged with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol relating to the crash.
Meanwhile, friends and family quietly mourned Sean Merriman on Wednesday, recalling his compassion and charm. In a letter to the Dispatch, Rose Moreno, Maggie’s sister, wrote, “It’s heartbreaking to see my sister cope with the loss of not only her best friend, but also the person she was planning to spend the rest of her life with.”
