Former SDG&E Employee Accused in Hit-And-Run Death Posts Bail

A former San Diego Gas & Electric employee posted bail and was released from jail Thursday following his arrest in connection with the hit-and-run death of a pedestrian who was run over by one of the utility's work trucks.

Hector Hoyt, 55, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, according to police. Hoyt was employed by SDG&E at the time of the fatality two weeks ago, but he no longer works there, according to a company statement.

Through interviews with several witnesses and reviews of surveillance video from businesses around the site of the accident, detectives identified Hoyt as the driver who allegedly fled after the SDG&E-owned Ford 550 struck 54- year-old Robert Fisher in the 100 block of Jamacha Road in downtown El Cajon on the evening of Jan. 6.

After being struck and knocked to the roadway while crossing the street mid-block, Fisher was hit by another vehicle, Lt. Randy Soulard said. The victim, a transient, died at the scene.

The second motorist stopped, called police and was cooperative with investigators, according to Soulard.

Detectives determined that Fisher initially was hit by a white utility truck with a logo on it and a crane with a lift bucket in the cargo bed. They tracked down the vehicle the following day at Hoyt's home in the 1100 block of Cloverleaf Drive in El Cajon home and impounded it.

At the time of the crash, Hoyt was off-duty, and the utility vehicle was out of service, Soulard said.

The suspect posted $50,000 bail and was released from custody about 5:30 a.m., a jail clerk said.

The utility company did not disclose whether Hoyt was fired from his job or quit.

"The accident involving Mr. Fisher was a terrible tragedy," according to a company statement. "SDG&E has cooperated fully with the El Cajon Police Department during its investigation."

Fisher's death was the first of two pedestrian fatalities this month involving a vehicle owned by the utility.

Shortly after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, 39-year-old Ana Herrera Rodriguez was hit and pinned by an SDG&E-operated Chevrolet Colorado while walking with two preschool-age girls in the 3900 block of Cottonwood Street in the Shelltown area of San Diego. She died at a hospital less than an hour later. The children suffered minor injuries.

It was unclear if the driver of the utility truck in this week's accident would face any criminal charges in connection with the accident.

-City News Service