Man sentenced in fatal hit and run that killed 13

Justin Preston, a Marysville resident who was arrested in January after a hit and run that resulted in the death of 13-year-old Jastelyn Hernandez Garcia, was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison last month in a Yuba County court after previously pleading no contest to charges related to the incident.

On May 12, Yuba County Judge Julia Scrogin sentenced Preston to state prison after Garcia's father delivered a "moving victim impact statement" to the court, the Yuba County District Attorney's Office said.

Earlier this year on Jan. 14, officers with the Marysville Police Department responded to an area on B Street near 24th Street for a report of a hit-and-run traffic collision.

"Officers arrived on scene and determined two juveniles were struck by a vehicle," Marysville Police Chief Chris Sachs previously said.

The two juveniles struck were 15-year-old Carlos Rodriguez Camarillo and Garcia. As a result of the collision, Camarillo was thrown about 20 feet away and suffered severe injuries, the DA's office said. Garcia was lying on the shoulder of the road unresponsive.

Sachs previously said the vehicle driven by Preston did not stop and continued southbound on B Street.

"The youths had attended an event at the Marysville Youth and Civic Center, and were walking south on the shoulder of B Street toward the Veterans Memorial Center," Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry previously told the Appeal. "It was dark and raining at the time of the incident. Officers from the Marysville Police Department tracked Preston down based on evidence left at the scene of the crime and information obtained from license plate readers. Officers determined that Preston's vision was obscured due to fogging of his windshield, when he traveled out of his lane and hit the youths."

After getting hit by Preston, both Camarillo and Garcia were transported to the hospital. The DA's office said Camarillo suffered injuries to his leg, face, and head. Garcia died as a result of her injuries.

"On that stormy night, Carlos and Jastelyn had been walking with another friend, Andrea, from one Quinceañera to another just down the road, using their cell phone lights to guide the way. Video surveillance from a nearby business showed that Carlos had positioned himself nearest the roadway to protect his friends who were walking along the shoulder and out of the roadway," the Yuba County District Attorney's Office said. "Andrea later recalled to officers that she saw bright lights coming up behind them and looked back just in time to see a vehicle strike her friends. Andrea said she heard tires screech, but the vehicle did not stop. She immediately called 911."

The DA's office said that evidence left behind from the collision included a front headlight and a side mirror from a dark green vehicle that was later linked to a class of Ford trucks.

"Almost every officer available assisted with canvassing the area and investigators were able to utilize data from nearby license plate readers (LPRs). Five days after the collision, a grid search conducted by Marysville Police Chief Sachs and Lt. Barber led to the location of the suspect vehicle," the Yuba County District Attorney's Office said. "The vehicle was a truck that had a blanket covering the damaged front passenger headlight and was parked at the home of the registered owner, 23-year-old Justin Taylor Preston. Further investigation revealed that the truck was in fact the one involved in the collision, and Preston was identified as the driver."

The DA's office said Preston admitted to knowing that he had collided with something the night of Jan. 14, but claimed that he thought he struck a piece of furniture. Preston said that due to an "inoperable windshield defroster," he was unable to see clearly that night.

The California Highway Patrol later assisted the Marysville Police Department with a vehicle inspection and it was determined that the truck Preston was driving had a fully functional defroster, officials said.

After being arrested and booked into Yuba County jail for a felony hit and run resulting in permanent injury or death, Preston pleaded no contest on Feb. 22 to a charge of vehicular manslaughter for the death of Garcia and a hit-and-run charge that resulted in injuries to Camarillo. Preston also admitted to an enhancement for fleeing after the vehicular manslaughter, the DA's office said.

Officials said Preston had no prior criminal history and wrote "letters of condolence" to both families affected by the incident.

"The loss of Jastelyn's young life is immeasurable and Carlos is still living with the trauma of the collision," the Yuba County District Attorney's Office said. " … We would like to express our gratitude to the Marysville Police Department, the CHP's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT), Chief Deputy DA Shiloh Sorbello, Victim Witness Advocate Liz Rodriguez, and many others who supported this investigation. Rest in peace, Jastelyn."

Partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Updated: June 8, 2023 @ 9:16 pm

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