Police change policy after fatal hit-run

The Tampa Police Department has changed its policy about when to consider certain investigations inactive after supervisors found that a detective investigating a fatal hit-and-run didn't pursue all available leads.

The change comes as a result of the Feb. 8 traffic collision that killed 33-year-old Melissa Sjostrom, a homeless woman crossing Hyde Park Avenue near Azeele Street, department spokeswoman Laura McElroy said Thursday.

The new policy requires a consultation with prosecutors before classifying the investigation into a serious crime or fatality as "administratively closed," meaning no more immediate action can be taken and the case is inactive.

A case such as a hit-and-run has no statute of limitations and remains open indefinitely, McElroy said.

Police are asking witnesses to contact investigators.

McElroy also appealed to whoever was driving the Nissan Murano that was involved that evening to "follow your conscience and do the right thing."

Police think Jordan Valdez, 16 at the time, was driving the sport utility vehicle based on an admission her attorney made to a detective for the purpose of completing the traffic-crash report, among other evidence.

State law prohibits that admission from being used against her in the criminal case, McElroy said.

Detectives are pursuing other leads to see whether they can definitively place the teenager behind the wheel. Forcing her parents to testify is a "last resort," McElroy said.

"It is not our hope and desire to send a 16-year-old to prison. It's just to ensure that you face the consequences of your actions in life," McElroy said. "You can't hit someone, leave them bleeding in the roadway and run from it. The right thing to do is to stop and see if this person needs help."

Even if the driver was scared, McElroy said, there was still time later to call police and report the crash.

Police began focusing on Valdez and her family after the SUV was discovered with front-end and hood damage that evening outside their Davis Islands home at 640 Hudson Ave. Paint chips from the crash match up to the vehicle "just like a jigsaw puzzle," a police report states.

Detectives are not at a point where they could force the homeowners, Robert Valdez Jr. and his wife, Kimberly, to testify against Jordan, McElroy said.

"We never want to put parents in that circumstance," McElroy said. "But it is an investigative avenue for us and one that we may pursue."

No one answered the door at the Valdez home Thursday or responded to a message asking for comment left at Manhattan Hairstyling Academy, which Robert Valdez owns.

Robert and Kimberly Valdez each has an attorney, as does Jordan, said Ty Trayner, the attorney representing Jordan Valdez.

Jordan Valdez has no comment about the crash, Trayner said. "She got handed a ticket and signed the ticket. That's not an admission of guilt," he said.

He said he thought the case was closed when Jordan was issued the citation. "Obviously the investigation was closed at the time, we were told. All this publicity has reopened it."

Police said Trayner told Detective Robert Powell on April 23 that the teen drove the SUV, a statement that would allow Powell to fill out the crash report.

Powell issued the teenager a careless driving citation and lectured her in front of her attorney and her father; the girl cried, McElroy said.

Powell sent the case along as administratively closed, or inactive, McElroy said.

Department supervisors this week looked over the case as part of a regular review process for fatalities and other serious investigations and disagreed with that assessment.

They also said Powell should have consulted with prosecutors before making that decision, even though he had spoken to them earlier about a search warrant and subpoena.

"We did lose a month of investigative time," McElroy said. "There are more leads to pursue."

Tuesday, the traffic citation for careless driving was dismissed after Powell didn't appear in court to testify against Jordan Valdez. McElroy said he couldn't legally testify because he wasn't a witness to the crash.

She declined to say whether Powell would face discipline for not consulting with prosecutors. "Our priority right now is to achieve a successful resolution to the case."

Samuel Barker, who is homeless, said he knew Sjostrom. He described her as a "beautiful person."

"She fed me, she gave me money," Barker said. "Every time you see her, she had something to give you."

Jordan Valdez's cheerleading coach, Peter Lezin, said he didn't know anything of the driving incident but said Jordan is a "great kid." Lezin added, "Despite all this stuff going on, she never missed practice. It didn't ... keep her back."