BOZEMAN — A Manhattan man faces charges after allegedly hitting a pedestrian with his vehicle, then filing a false report to cover up the incident.
Michael Leo Moreno, 35, is charged with vehicular homicide, tampering with physical evidence, and failing to remain at the scene of an accident with a deceased person.
According to court documents, around 6:40 p.m. Saturday Gallatin County dispatch received a report of a suspicious vehicle in the 5000 block of Churchill Road. The reporting party said the occupants of a blue Chevrolet Impala threw a case of Ranier beer out of the vehicle. The vehicle's windshield was also reportedly shattered.
Later, around 7 p.m., Moreno called 911, claiming he and his passenger, Daniel Sifuentes, were victims of a carjacking. Moreno reportedly said they had picked up a hitchhiker who held a gun to Moreno's head and stole the vehicle.
As law enforcement was interviewing Moreno about the alleged carjacking, deputies responding to a missing person report located a deceased man on the side of Stagecoach Trail Road, west of Heeb Road.
Court documents say deputies detained Moreno and Sifuentes for further questioning, given the circumstances. The two men reportedly confessed to strking the man, filing a false report, and getting rid of beer and marijuana that was in the vehicle.
Moreno allegedly also admitted that he knew he shouldn't have been driving given how much he had to drink. Court documents say deputies eventually found Moreno's vehicle, and it matched the description given in the suspicious vehicle report.
Moreno is due to appear in Gallatin County Justice Court Monday morning. Sifuentes, 23, is also due to appear on an obstruction of justice charge.
