Tow Truck Driver Faces Trial in Fatal Hit-and-Run Case

Troy Reynolds, a longtime tow truck driver with Hill’s Towing in Yucca Valley, California, returned to court March 24 for a jury trial stemming from a fatal hit-and-run that killed 17-year-old Joshua Barreras on January 26, 2024. Barreras was found unresponsive on the center median of Twentynine Palms Highway and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The trial, before Judge Sarah Oliver, continued with testimony from lead investigator Detective Shane Crowl, who told jurors that body camera footage and debris collected at the scene helped identify Reynolds. Investigators determined the parts matched a Hill’s Towing truck operating under the company’s sheriff’s rotation contract.

Jurors also viewed footage from a February search of the business, where Reynolds admitted he “got scared” after the collision. He testified that he believed something suddenly stepped into the roadway and that he panicked after the impact.

Reynolds, who has worked in towing for decades, is charged with felony hit-and-run resulting in death. He remains out on $500,000 bail as the trial continues. Source: https://z1077fm.com