Man sentenced in Bellingham hit-and-run crash that injured two

PETER JENSEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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A Nooksack man was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 15, for fleeing the scene of a crash he caused at Alabama and James streets on New Year's Day that injured two women.

Jose A. Lopez-Suarez, 21, pleaded guilty to felony hit and run in Whatcom County Superior Court Thursday.

Judge Charles Snyder sentenced him to six months of jail time, with the first two months to be served in custody and the remaining time to be served in jail alternatives if he qualifies. Snyder ordered Lopez-Suarez to report to jail in December.

Lopez-Suarez was driving north in a black truck on James Street at about 8:20 a.m. Jan. 1 when he ran a red light, struck a car with the women inside and fled.

Police found his smashed truck nearby, got a warrant to search it and found documents with Lopez-Suarez's name on them. The women were given a photo lineup, and both immediately picked out Lopez-Suarez as the driver, according to charging documents filed in Superior Court.