Tyler man sentenced to prison in fatal hit-and-run crash

TYLER — A Tyler man was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Monday in connection to a 2021 fatal hit-and-run crash, according to our news partner KETK. Juan Jesus Juarez, 24, was sentenced for an accident involving death. He was convicted in February for the crash that happened in Jan. of 2021. The District Attorney’s Office said Juarez was driving the car with his two friends inside, and they had reportedly had drinks. “While drunk, speeding, and not paying attention Juarez drove through a T-intersection in a residential area,” the DA’s office said. Authorities said the car crashed into two metal fences, and the fence shattered through the windshield and impaled Marco Antonio Lopez-Penado, who was in the back seat. Juarez was not injured by the fence. The DA’s office said Lopez-Penado died from his injuries, and Juarez walked away from the scene. Juarez later told police he did not know how serious Lopez-Penado’s injuries were.