The Weld County Sheriff's Office reported early Tuesday morning it has a suspect in custody in connection with a fatal hit-and-run that killed 24-year-old deputy Alexis Hein-Nutz on Sunday in Greeley.
The sheriff's office sent out a tweet about midnight Tuesday saying a suspect was taken into custody at 10:15 p.m. Monday.
The department did not indicate if the suspect is Octavio Gonzalez-Garcia, who was identified by the sheriff's office and the Colorado State Patrol as the driver of a white van who allegedly hit Hein-Nutz on a motorcycle while she was on her way to work about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
The WCSO's tweet said the suspect in custody was tracked to Fort Collins and taken into custody by the department's Strike Team, the CSP and Fort Collins police.
"More detail to come tomorrow," according to the tweet.
The crash occurred just north of Greeley near AA Street and 37th Avenue. Sheriff's office deputies responded to the scene, but the driver fled on foot into a nearby cornfield.
Sheriff Steve Reams on Monday afternoon identified Hein-Nutz as the crash victim. With the department for nearly four years, Hein-Nutz was about a week from her 25th birthday at the time of her death.
"Alexis was a hard worker, a caring deputy and a positive force for our agency," Reams said in a message Monday. "I share in my deputies' grief and in their anger over her senseless and tragic passing. But we are a family, and we will get through this painful event together."
Gonzalez-Garcia, who is 37 or 38 years old, was described as a slightly heavy-set Latino man, and about 5 feet, 7 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a dark blue shirt, blue jeans and white shoes.
Evidence found inside his vehicle — a falsified Green Card and a fake Social Security Card — revealed Gonzalez-Garcia is residing illegally in the United States, Reams said. He also appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the crash, according to additional evidence found in his vehicle.
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