Driver charged in death of child 'couldn't see very well'

Driver charged in death of child 'couldn't see very well'

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WEST VALLEY CITY — A woman accused of hitting and killing a 2-year-old being pushed in a stroller wasn't wearing her glasses and had a tint on her windshield that wasn't legal, according to prosecutors.

Kimberly Munoz, 21, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, a third-degree felony; driving with no insurance, a class B misdemeanor; driving while violating restrictions on license, a class C misdemeanor; and illegal window tinting, a class C misdemeanor.

On June 10, Munoz hit 2-year-old Gavyn Barnett as his mother pushed him in a stroller across 5600 West at 4005 South in a poorly lit area outside of a crosswalk, according to charging documents. Police say Munoz stopped briefly, became scared and then fled.

The case went cold for detectives until a tip from Munoz's ex-boyfriend led to detectives arresting her late last month.

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Munoz told investigators "it was dark outside and she had forgotten her glasses and couldn't see very well," according to the charges. Munoz has a restriction on her license that requires her to wear glasses or contacts while driving.

"As she was driving, she accidentally hit someone crossing the street because she didn't see them crossing," the charges state.

Investigators also determined the windows of Munoz's vehicle had a darker tint than legally allowed and said she was driving with no insurance at the time.

Munoz's father, Rodolfo Damian Munoz, 54, was also arrested for investigation of obstruction of justice and giving false statements to police. Detectives said Munoz knew of his daughter's accident but did not report it to police, and then denied having knowledge of the crash even when confronted by investigators. As of Wednesday, no formal charges had been filed against him.

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Pat Reavy

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