PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After an elderly man was hit and killed by a driver that deputies say had been high on drugs, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office says they arrested the suspect less than an hour after it happened.
However, investigators think that man, 55-year-old Anthony Castro Tenorio, might be linked to another hit and run crime.
Just before 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, deputies were leaving a call near Southwest Kinnaman Road and 188th Avenue when they witnessed an SUV hit 85-year-old James Park.
“They heard this noise behind them of someone being hit, and they turned around and saw a dark-colored vehicle fleeing the scene and an elderly gentleman who was down in the ditch on the side of the road,” said Detective Mark Povolny.
Deputies were at Park’s side within seconds and tried to save him.
Park had just left a family member’s house and was just making the short walk back to his own home when he was killed.
Povolny said investigators found a dark gray Ford Explorer at an apartment complex a couple blocks away – where they also found Tenorio.
“They could see that he was still visibly impaired and took him into custody right away,” Povolny said”
While investigators were examining Tenorio’s SUV, Povolny said they found damage from another potential hit and run crash.
“Part of that damage included long blonde hairs that were still stuck to that damaged part of the car,” he said. “As soon as they found that, detectives started reaching out to other law enforcement agencies throughout the whole metro area…there was no immediate connection made.”
KOIN 6 looked into Tenorio’s criminal history and found he has previous felony charges, including possession of a controlled substance and possession of a restricted weapon.
The sheriff’s office asks that anyone with knowledge about a recent hit and run crash involving the SUV to call 503-846-2700. However, the detective said that the separate crash may have happened on a separate night.
Stay with KOIN 6 as we receive more information.