Driver charged in connection with body found in St. Jones River
By DOVER — A 30-year-old Newark man has been charged with vehicular homicide in connection with a body found in the St. Jones River earlier this month.
According to Dover police, Luis Coello was driving a 2013 Jeep Wrangler and crashed near the body of water on June 21. While Mr. Coello and another passenger were taken to the hospital and survived, authorities said a second passenger was discovered dead in the river on July 2.
Dover Police spokesman Sgt. Mark Hoffman said Mr. Coello and the passenger told police they were the only ones in the vehicle when it crashed. However, it was later determined that Dover-area resident Jorge Valladares, 30, was in the vehicle as well, police said.
The crash happened when the Jeep first failed to brake and drove over a curb when approaching a sharp curve on East Water Street, police said. The Jeep turned over multiple times while traveling down an embankment, police said.
In court documents, police said the vehicle was traveling 40 mph in a 25-mph zone at the time of the crash. The vehicle was approaching a sharp 90 degree left turn, just east of Legislative Avenue at the time, authorities said.
An autopsy showed that Mr. Valladares suffered traumatic head injuries during the crash. Police said an investigation determined that he was a front-seat passenger and was ejected from the vehicle and thrust into the river.
None of the occupants were believed to have been wearing seatbelts at the time, police said.
According to police in court documents, the investigation found that the vehicle and occupants were laying off the roadway approximately 200 feet out of sight of other vehicles and unresponsive until Mr. Coello called 911 at approximately 4:15 a.m. on June 22. It was later determined that the crash occurred at around 11:21 p.m. on June 21, Sgt. Hoffman said.
Once Mr. Coello and the passenger (a Delaware resident, authorities said) had been transported to Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus, they offered conflicting information of what happened, police said. They suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Officers searched the crash area and found no further evidence or persons.
Kayakers spotted Mr. Valladares’s body about 215 yards from where the vehicle was believed to have left the roadway in front of Del-One Credit Union.
Police said the body was believed to have moved a significant distance between the time of the crash and when officers arrived to investigate due to the river’s current. The Jeep was impounded, police said.
Police said Mr. Coello was identified through foreign national identification and the Delaware Justice Information System.
Mr. Coello was initially charged with driving under the influence and traffic violations. The second-degree vehicular homicide charge was filed due to the discovery of the body, police said.
Following his arrest in Newark, Mr. Coello was then arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 7 in Dover. He was then held at Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown on a $7,000 secured bond. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 5.
Sgt. Hoffman said the investigation continues and additional related charges are possible. Police say anyone with information on the case could call 302-736-7130. Callers may remain anonymous. Tips may also be submitted to law enforcement through Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333 or online.
