Update 12/29 9 a.m.: The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a Tuesday news release that the body of a dead pedestrian found in the car was a 16-year-old.
The announcement came as Armando Rodarte Jr. was arraigned on charges of first-degree manslaughter, failure to perform duties of a driver to injured persons, reckless driving and second-degree abuse of a corpse.
Original story below
Deputies arrested a Salem man in the early hours of Christmas morning after investigators said they found the body of a dead pedestrian in his car.
The arrest came after a 911 caller just after 2 a.m. Saturday reported a car had struck a pedestrian on Northeast Lancaster Drive near Northeast Ward Drive in an unincorporated area east of Salem, according to a Dec. 25 news release from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Arriving deputies learned someone driving a red Honda Civic had left the area at a “high rate of speed,” the news release said, and evidence at the scene showed the victim suffered serious injuries and likely died in the crash.
A caller around 3:30 a.m. reported that a dead person was inside a red Honda Civic several miles away from the crash scene near Northeast Wheatland Road and Northeast Brooklake Road north of Keizer.
Investigators determined that the dead man in the car, who hasn’t been identified, was the pedestrian killed in the crash, the news release said. Deputies identified Armando Rodarte Jr., 26 of Salem, as the driver.
Deputies found Rodarte shortly after 6 a.m. walking on Northeast Devonshire Court in Salem and arrested him without incident. He was lodged at the Marion County Jail on charges of first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, hit and run – injury, reckless driving and reckless endangerment.
Citing a pending investigation, the sheriff’s office did not address questions from Salem Reporter about the incident, including how the pedestrian’s body ended up in Rodarte’s car.
Sr. Deputy Ethan Griffith, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said Monday afternoon that they are still trying to identify the victim and as a result haven’t contacted next of kin. “With this in mind, as well as due to this being an ongoing investigation, we will not be releasing additional information at this time,” Griffith said.
“As we make determinations about what information is available for release, it is critical we are preserving the integrity of the investigation and future prosecution as well as being considerate of the fact there is a family out there who does not yet know they’ve lost a loved one,” he said.
Rodarte was scheduled for arraignment at the Marion County Circuit Court annex Monday at 2:30 p.m, but it was moved to Tuesday at 2:30 after the court was closed due to weather conditions.
The sheriff’s office said in the news release that anybody with information about the incident should contact Detective Jessica Van Horn at 503-584-6211 or though email at [email protected]. They can also submit a tip by texting TIPMCSO and their tip to 847411.
Rodarte previously pleaded guilty in Marion County Circuit Court to driving under the influence of intoxicants and not leaving his information after damaging “fixtures and property” on or near a highway in 2016. He entered a DUI diversion agreement for the former charge and was sentenced to a year of probation for the latter but was ultimately convicted of both in 2017 after violated probation, court records show. He was sentenced to 48 hours in jail and a year of probation.
Rodarte pleaded guilty in another Marion County case on May 6 to driving under the influence of intoxicants and was sentenced to a week of electronic monitoring and 18 months of probation. His license was suspended for a year.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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