Expand / Collapse search
☰

Fugitive suspect in vehicular homicide case arrested in Peru

Published  January 18, 2017 6:07pm EST
U.S.
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Bucks County, Pa. (WTXF) - Authorities say a man who flew to South America six years ago after being charged with homicide by vehicle in Bucks County has been apprehended in his native Peru.

Nelio Sotomayor-Sanchez, 46, was arrested earlier this month in Lima, and is expected to be returned to Bucks County to face charges in the Dec. 23, 2010, death of a Newtown Township woman.

The Bucks County District Attorney's Office is working with the United States Department of Justice in seeking his extradition for prosecution.

According to authorities, Sheree Maillie, 55, a teacher's aide at Newtown Middle School, was killed when a Volkswagen Beetle driven by Sotomayor-Sanchez struck her PT Cruiser head-on on Woodbourne Road near Swift Road in Middletown Township.

Authorities allege that the suspect was attempting to pass another vehicle illegally over a double-yellow line when the fatal collision occurred. Police say he is charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, causing a fatal accident while driving without a license and other offenses.

Sotomayor-Sanchez was treated for injuries at St. Mary Medical Center, where he was interviewed by Middletown Township police. After being discharged, he moved to Tampa, Florida, according to a letter received by Bucks County authorities on Jan. 12, 2011, from an attorney representing the defendant.

The attorney's letter further indicated that Sotomayor-Sanchez was aware of the charges that would be filed against him. According to authorities, a criminal complaint charging Sotomayor-Sanchez with the collision-related crimes was filed on Feb. 25, 2011, in the court of Magisterial District Judge John J. Kelly Jr. of Levittown.

A day later, on Feb. 26, 2011, the defendant boarded a plane in Miami, Florida, and flew to Bogota, Colombia. He then flew from Bogota to Lima, Peru, on the same day, according to federal court documents.

Authorities say on May 10, 2011, the FBI charged Sotomayor-Sanchez in federal court with unlawful international flight to avoid prosecution. That charge is pending in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.