A Kern County Jury has found Javier Parra Lopez guilty of DUI Causing Injury and Hit and Run of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, driving with 0.08 percent blood alcohol causing injury, and failing to perform duty following accident – commonly referred to as hit and run. The jury found the additional allegations true that Parra Lopez caused great bodily injury to the pedestrian who Parra Lopez struck with his vehicle.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy DA William Mord.
On August 11, 2024, at approximately 2:06 a.m., Parra Lopez was driving northbound on S. Comanche Drive in Arvin when his vehicle hit a pedestrian who was wearing a reflective vest and pushing a grocery cart with a light attached to it. The pedestrian suffered lacerations to his head and broken legs which required surgery. Parra Lopez fled the scene and drove to his house, two blocks away.
When officers from the Arvin Police Department arrived at Parra Lopez’s house, Parra Lopez told officers that he knew they were there because he had hit someone with his vehicle. Parra Lopez admitted to drinking prior to the incident and told officers he fled the scene because he was scared of getting a DUI. Officers observed that Parra Lopez had red and watery eyes, slurred speech, smelled of alcohol, and performed poorly on Field Sobriety Tests. An evidentiary breath test (breathalyzer) showed that Parra Lopez had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.11%, a concentration over the legal limit.
DA Zimmer commented; “Driving under the influence is a selfish decision that is not only a violation of the law, but a reckless act that causes lasting, often irreversible harm to innocent individuals.”
Sentencing is set for March 10, 2026, where Parra Lopez faces up to 6 years, 8 months in prison