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Davis Islands teen in hit-and-run turns herself in

Tampa Police Department

Tampa police linked this SUV to the hit-and-run death of Melissa Sjostrom.

TBO.com

Published: July 9, 2009

Updated: 07/09/2009 05:04 pm

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Jordan Valdez

Melissa Sjostrom

TAMPA - Jordan Valdez, the Davis Islands teenager charged as an adult in the hit-and-run of a homeless woman, turned herself in to law enforcement this afternoon, and she was released less than 20 minutes after being booked.

Valdez was booked in at 1800 Orient Road at 12:47 p.m. She was released at 1:06 p.m.

She did not speak to the media, but her attorney said he expects the matter to be resolved without a trial.

Valdez told the state attorney's office two days ago that she was behind the wheel when the crash happened, Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

Valdez' parents also admitted their daughter told them she had been involved in the crash, McElroy said.

Valdez's booking won't take as long as it does for many other inmates because she is a juvenile, Hillsborough sheriff's Col. Jim Previtera said. The state has already agreed to release her on her own recognizance.

"It's never been our intention to put a 17-year-old behind bars," McElroy said. But she said police need to ensure Valdez faces the consequences of her actions.

On Wednesday, prosecutors filed one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident with death against Valdez. She was charged as an adult, and if convicted could serve a maximum of 30 years behind bars. Valdez was 16 when investigators say the SUV she was driving struck 33-year-old Melissa Sjostrom, who was walking across Hyde Park Avenue near Azeele Street. Sjostrom died following the Feb. 8 crash.

Valdez's attorney, Ty Trayner, said he thinks his client's case should be in juvenile court, not criminal court. He said he is "disappointed" with the charge.

"In a perfect world, she's a naive, immature juvenile, and I think she should have been charged in juvenile court, and the case should have been disposed of in juvenile court," Trayner said.

Eddie Suarez, the attorney for Valdez's father, echoed those comments, saying the juvenile court would be a perfect fit for the case. "Except for this case, she has a perfect history,'' Suarez said. "She's a stellar student.''

Trayner said there's a plea agreement on the table. "The plea agreement is something that we'll strongly consider." He confirmed that she had met with prosecutors, and he said he expects the matter to be resolved without Valdez going to jail.

Sjostrom's aunt, Lisa Mott, said that in February she felt Valdez' life shouldn't be ruined due to extended time behind bars. But the police investigation has taken months, and while Valdez has spoken to prosecutors recently, Mott is concerned that not all the evidence has come out.

As a result, Mott said, Sjostrom's family has "told the prosecutors' office five times – no deal whatsoever" until all the evidence is in.

"We're a little livid. We're a little upset the deal has been offered," Mott said.

Mott said Sjostrom's family has been devastated since the crash. Sjostrom, who planned to become a hairdresser one day, had a big heart, was involved in church and was very positive about life, Mott said. Today is Sjostrom's son's 15th birthday.

Suarez said Jordan Valdez is "remorseful'' and "embarrassed by the fact she panicked and left the scene.''

Prosecutors' decision to charge Valdez is the latest twist in a saga that has ignited passions across the Bay area. Valdez, who lives with her parents on upscale Davis Islands, originally was only given a citation for careless driving. That citation was dismissed after the detective who issued it did not appear in court to testify.

"Based on the nature of the crime, she has been charged as an adult," Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said Wednesday.

Vince Dettore, who is homeless, said he knew Sjostrom well. He said he thinks that if the person who was killed lived on Bayshore Boulevard, the situation would have been different.

"She [Valdez] probably should have been charged a long time ago. You know how that goes," Dettore said today while standing on Bayshore near the bridge to Davis Islands.

Dettore said Sjostrom was a nice person who would do whatever she could to help.

According to a search warrant affidavit that became public in May, Tampa police had interviewed two witnesses to the Feb. 8 hit-and-run, including one who chased a Nissan sport utility vehicle to Davis Islands but lost it.

Later that night, police found a maroon Nissan Murano parked in front of the Valdez home, 640 Hudson Ave. Its front end had been damaged and paint was chipped, police said.

Police said paint chips found at the scene of the hit-and-run matched the vehicle paint.

Detectives impounded the SUV. The next day, Robert Valdez called police and said his daughter's Nissan was missing.

Jordan Valdez had thought the car was stolen, but after learning detectives had the Nissan towed, she "then told her mother that she had been in an accident," a police report says.

Detectives got a search warrant for the Murano and took a SunPass transponder and more paint chips from the vehicle.

With the transponder, detectives were able to determine that the Murano was at the Selmon Crosstown Expressway's Plant Avenue toll plaza at 8:24 p.m. Feb. 8. The driver of the Murano could not be identified from the toll booth's security cameras, but there was no crash damage visible on the vehicle.

The victim, Sjostrom, was limping across Hyde Park Avenue about 8:30 p.m. when she was struck by a maroon SUV going an estimated 45 to 50 mph, a police report says. Sjostrom died during surgery at Tampa General Hospital.

In May, police searched the Valdez home and seized three computers and a cordless phone. Police said at the time there might be information on the hard drives that could be used to help build a case against the teenager.

Channel 8 reporter Natalie Shepherd and News Channel 8 photojournalist Paul Lamison contributed to this report.

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