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Police say suspect painted over SUV damage. Victim was killed on Route 8, day before 60th birthday party
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
When the man charged in her husband's death was about to enter a Cuyahoga Falls courtroom Wednesday morning, Vicki Collins spoke to him.
''He was crying and trembling and saying how sorry he was,'' said Collins, whose husband, Dale, was killed Nov. 7 in a hit-skip accident on state Route 8 in Stow.
''I said, 'I don't doubt you were sorry, but you were wrong,' '' she said.
Stow police arrested Luis Felipe Perez, 38, of Maplehurst Drive in Stow, on Wednesday and charged him with tampering with evidence and vehicular manslaughter in the death of Dale Collins, the Falls man who was to turn 60 on Nov. 11.
Other charges are pending, police said.
Perez pleaded not guilty to the vehicular manslaughter charge in Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court, but did not enter a plea on the tampering with evidence charge.
He was released after posting 10 percent of a $50,000 bond and is to be back in court before Judge Lisa Coates at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 26, a court official said.
Collins' vehicle was southbound on Route 8 when it was struck by a green 1997 Chevrolet Blazer that was coming onto the highway from the Steels Corners Road entrance ramp, Stow Police Lt. Rick Myers said.
Traffic on Route 8 at that time was limited to one lane because of construction, Myers said, and after being hit, Collins' vehicle struck a concrete barricade on the left, then careened off the right side of the road and struck a parked water truck, coming to rest in the grass.
An investigation by Stow police and the Summit County Metro Crash Response Team followed, and the public was asked for assistance in identifying the hit-skip vehicle and driver.
Stow police received information and eventually located the Blazer and the driver, Myers said.
The driver had borrowed the vehicle and painted it to cover up crash damage before returning it to the owner, Myers said.
''We did get a tip as to the possible location of the vehicle,'' he said. ''We followed that up, found out who the owner was, who the driver was.''
Because of the nature of the crash, he said, there was not a lot of damage to the suspect's vehicle, Myers said.
Dale Collins was a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam as a radar specialist and worked for Rexel for more than two decades as a warehouseman and driver, his wife said.
She and her husband of 28 years had plans to relocate to the Las Vegas area in 2011, she said, after he retired.
A 60th birthday party for her husband had been scheduled for the day after he was killed.
''I had to cancel all of that,'' she said.
Vicki Collins said she was glad an arrest has been made in her husband's death.
''But that's not going to bring him back,'' she added.
Perez could not be reached for comment.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
When the man charged in her husband's death was about to enter a Cuyahoga Falls courtroom Wednesday morning, Vicki Collins spoke to him.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Barberton, OH
Posted 05:45 AM, 11/20/2008
I'm not defending anyone in this story, but, how about getting that construction done already. They have been dragging that on all year now and exactly WHAT are they doing on Route 8 besides creating problems?
Posted 07:19 AM, 11/20/2008
These forums bring out some arrogant, know-it-alls too.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:44 AM, 11/20/2008
What a moron, must be a relative of Jacks.
Good. Glad to see they caught the guy. I'd like to see more of the idiots, that don't yield to traffic as they enter the expressway, arrested, fined, or serve some form of punishment, for their stoopidity.
Posted 08:53 AM, 11/20/2008
How sad a man has died, it is good the dude that did it has been caught, i can only hope i get picked for the jury
Posted 11:41 AM, 11/20/2008
to late for sorrys now. driving reckless, killing a guy , not even stopping to help or see if he hurt or killed anyone, covering up the evidence of a collision with a new paint job. this is the mentality of a criminal and he needs to be charged with murder. if he stopped and let the law enforcement make the decision based on evidence i can maybe see it as being a accident. this guy is a cold blooded murderer. well tax payer just one more moron you are going to have to support while he is in jail, probably till he dies.i really feel bad for the woman who's husband was killed. they sure were looking forward to a happy retirement together.
Posted 11:56 AM, 11/20/2008
IF people would only OPEN their eyes when driving AND YIELD when getting on the XWAY none of this would have happened ! WHY DO PEOPLE CLOSE their eyes when driving or they are too busy on THAT ----- PHONE and paying NO attn
Barberton, OH
Posted 12:13 PM, 11/20/2008
I agree Clide. I see over 3/4 of the drivers on the way home yakking it up on the cell phone. As soon as someone gets behind me while they are yakking on the phone, I try to get away from that driver ASAP. I have nearly been rear-ended several times on Route 8 and it is always by someone talking on the phone.
Stow, OH
Posted 12:41 PM, 11/20/2008
For someone that went to that much trouble to cover his tracks and hide the evidence,I don't think letting him out on such a small bail is a good idea .
Posted 01:47 PM, 11/20/2008
just a very very sad story all around!
Posted 03:21 PM, 11/20/2008
I agree. This is a very sad story for both families.
Posted 05:48 PM, 11/20/2008
I agree with the posters commenting on yielding when entering the highway and not talking on the phone while driving! Too many folks get to the bottom of an on-ramp and think they have the right of way and everyone else should yield to them.
Personally, I will not talk or text while driving, simply because it is TOO distracting, and I refuse to be at fault for an accident because I couldn't wait until I was parked to have some dumb conversation.
Driving in construction zones is always extra dangerous, and the mess at Steels Corners is really bad! Condolences to the Collins family, and thanks to the local police for catching this guy!
Posted 10:13 PM, 11/20/2008
Emmi says its a sad story for both families. Sorry. It is a sad story for the Collins family and all of Dale's friends. The family of Felipe should have seen this coming. This man was a walking time bomb. Summit County website shows many traffic violations, DWI, domestic violence, lawsuits. This man has always been a menace to society and still is. Felipe obviously does not care about his own family nor anybody elses. Lock this dirt bag up forever. RIP Dale. God bless you Vicki.
Cross Lanes, WV
Posted 09:54 AM, 11/21/2008
Wonder why he ran from the scene? Scared perhaps? Or ... could he have been drunk? Hmmmmm. I'd bet he was. We'll never know that now. He's seen to that.
