A 77-year-old driver accused of taking off after hitting a man who was directing traffic in Valley Center pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Ruperto Jesus Lopez is charged with hit-and-run causing death or injury in connection with the April 10 crash in Oceanside that killed 27-year-old Fallbrook resident Manuel Leon.
Leon was a construction worker operating as a flagman in the 14500 block of Cool Valley Road just before 7 a.m. when a tan Toyota Corolla struck him and drove off, CHP said. He was transported to the hospital via air ambulance but died of his injuries in the hospital, the Medical Examiner's office said.
Leon's pregnant wife, Monse, was at the arraignment hearing on Monday and spoke lovingly of her husband and the father of her soon-to-be three children.
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"It was the most amazing marriage anyone could ever ask for," she said.
Investigators eventually identified the vehicle and its driver and took Lopez into custody the following afternoon, CHP said, adding that Valley Center residents were "instrumental" in the investigation.
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Although Lopez faces 2 to 4 years in prison, if convicted, Monse Leon thinks he deserves life for taking away the love of her life.
"I just hope he knows the pain that he has caused to my kids and to my unborn son that he was excited to meet and help me bring into this world," Monse Leon said.
Lopez was being held on a half-million-dollar bond. He is next due in court on April 24.
